Latest news with #UnitedNationsHumanRightsCouncil
Focus Malaysia
2 days ago
- Business
- Focus Malaysia
A Bangladeshi worker's tearful farewell highlights the power of workplace kindness
ALL it takes is a little appreciation to make the world go round. Although employees are paid to do their work, we never forget they are humans with thoughts, emotions, ideals and dreams. And like they say, happy employees equal successful business. After all, the service we provide to our client is only as good as the people who operate it. That said, a restaurant owner takes this principle to heart in a heartwarming video as seen in a video on X. In the video, the owner of the restaurant could be seen trying to find fault with his Bangladeshi workers, Mamun. The initial conversation showed that the worker had did something wrong and they were not going to pay his salary. Indahnya pemandangan apabila manusia tahu memanusiakan sesama manusia.🫶 mesti dia pekerja yang baik. — ًِ (@bckupacc99) July 27, 2025 But the truth quickly revealed itself with a cake to celebrate Mamun, who was soon to leave. The video ended with Mamun hiding in a corner to cry, being touched by the act of kindness. Netizen @wiraEhsn who watched the video said Mamun wasn't crying, but he was. On the other hand, @adamapotek disagreed with their method, saying it was not right to keep someone in distress before celebrating. Separately, the United Nations Human Rights Council has raised serious concerns over the treatment of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia. In a 2024 report, UN experts described the living conditions of many of these migrants, especially those who have been in the country for extended periods, as both unsustainable and lacking in basic dignity. The report highlighted that upon arriving in Malaysia, numerous Bangladeshi workers discovered that the jobs they were promised simply did not exist. As a result, many ended up overstaying their visas, putting them at risk of being arrested, detained, mistreated, or even deported. The UN also flagged the involvement of transnational criminal networks exploiting the recruitment process. These syndicates reportedly deceive workers with false job offers, charge excessively high recruitment fees, and often operate through fake or unlicensed companies, leaving many migrants trapped in cycles of debt and exploitation. Mamun's story had a happy ending, but for many others, unseen and unheard, they do not enjoy such fortune. —July 28, 2025 Main image: @bckupacc99 (X)
Korea Herald
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Colombia marks Independence Day with renewed call to strengthen Korea ties
Colombia marked its Independence Day with a renewed pledge to strengthen diplomatic, economic and peacekeeping ties with South Korea — bonds rooted in their shared commitment to the United Nations and deepened by decades of bilateral cooperation. Colombia's 215th Independence Day, which fell on July 20, commemorates its 1810 declaration of independence from Spain, which had colonized the country since 1549. 'For the first time in its history, Colombia has been elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2025–2027 term, where we will serve alongside the Republic of Korea,' said Colombian Ambassador to Korea Alejandro Pelaez Rodriguez during Monday's celebration event. Rodriguez noted Colombia's recent election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2026–2027. 'Peace, democracy and freedom are the foundation of the strong ties that unite Colombia and the Republic of Korea,' he said, recalling Colombia's historic participation in the 1950–1953 Korean War. 'Seventy-four years ago, 5,100 men from all regions of Colombia crossed the Pacific to join the United Nations Command,' recalled Rodriguez. Colombian military officers remain stationed at Camp Humphreys, supporting peacekeeping and the enforcement of the 1953 armistice, the ambassador said. Rodriguez thanked Korea and other Security Council members for supporting Colombia's diplomatic efforts for peace both nationally and globally. He highlighted the Korea–Colombia FTA, citing a 43.1 percent increase in Colombian exports to Korea in 2024 and a 76.8 percent rise in the number of exporters since 2016. Rodriguez Colombia–Korea cooperation in technology, climate action and people-to-people ties, citing projects like a land reform program using Korean technology, an office of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology in Santa Marta, a planned working holiday agreement, and regional exchange initiatives to strengthen the bilateral partnership. Meanwhile, South Korea's Deputy Minister and Ambassador for Climate Change Chung Keeyong applauded Colombia's consistent support for peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. 'Likewise, the Republic of Korea has steadfastly supported Colombia's journey toward a just and sustainable peace — a complete peace that reflects the aspirations of the Colombian people,' Chung said. 'A true friend is someone who holds your hand and touches your heart,' Chung added, referring to a saying by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. sanjaykumar@
Yemen Press Agency
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Press Agency
Sanaa calls for urgent int'l intervention regarding critical conditions of expatriates in Saudi Arabia
SANAA, July 17 (YPA) – The Sanaa-based Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jamal Amer, called for urgent international intervention regarding the critical humanitarian and legal conditions facing a large number of Yemeni expatriates detained in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This came in the letters he sent to both the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Jürg Lauber, and the IOM Director General, Amy Pope. The letters confirmed that the ministry in Sanaa had received numerous documented reports from citizens and their families, as well as from concerned civil society organizations, indicating practices that contravene the most basic principles of human rights and international law against Yemeni expatriates in Saudi Arabia. These practices focused in private on the arbitrary detention of many expatriates who were arrested without clear charges or being brought to trial within a reasonable timeframe in accordance with international legal standards. The ministry's letters indicated that practices attributed to complex administrative procedures related to deportation or the lack of a sponsor, which unlawfully deprive these individuals of their liberty and place their families in an extremely difficult humanitarian and economic situation. In addition, Yemeni diplomatic and consular missions in Saudi Arabia face difficulty in accessing detainees and depriving them of their fundamental right to defend themselves and to exercise of their internationally guaranteed legal rights. The minister pointed out that these practices not only contravened fundamental principles of human rights and international law, but also exacerbated the humanitarian suffering of citizens already living under extremely harsh conditions due to the aggression and blockade in Yemen. He stated that these conditions constituted a clear violation of numerous international instruments to which states were bound, including the principles related to the right to liberty, personal security, and a fair trial. Minister Amer expressed the Sanaa government's confidence in the vital role that the OHCHR, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the IOM played in protecting and providing assistance to migrants and displaced persons around the world. He called on these organizations to urgently and directly intervene to address this urgent humanitarian issue by urging the Saudi authorities to immediately release Yemeni detainees who have completed their sentences or who are being arbitrarily detained without legal basis, in accordance with their international obligations.
Toronto Star
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Things to know about the UN special rapporteur sanctioned by the US
A U.N. special rapporteur was sanctioned by the United States over her work as an independent investigator scrutinizing human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, a high-profile role in a network of experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Francesca Albanese is among the group of experts chosen by the 47-member council in Geneva, and report to the body as a means of monitoring human rights records in various countries to assure the global observance of specific rights.
NBC News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Hamas agrees to release 10 hostages as part of Gaza ceasefire talks
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducted high level talks in Washington, Hamas said it would release 10 hostages held in Gaza in a bid reach a ceasefire deal to end 21 months of war in the Palestinian enclave. As part of its 'commitment to the success' of ongoing peace talks, the militant group said in a news release Wednesday that it would free the captives, although it cautioned that ongoing peace talks with Israel had been difficult. It did not say when the hostages would be freed. The announcement came as Netanyahu said discussions with President Donald Trump during two meetings in Washington had focused on freeing the hostages who remained held in Gaza. The latest data from Netanyahu's office published last month said 50 hostages remained in the enclave, 28 of whom were classified as dead. Netanyahu's visit came just over two weeks after Trump ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israeli airstrikes. The president then helped arrange a ceasefire after 12 days of fighting. Netanyahu, in a post on X, added that he had also discussed the potential implications — and possibilities — of the war with Iran with Trump, which he described as a "great victory." Trump said Wednesday that there was a 'very good chance' of a ceasefire deal being reached between Israel and Hamas, suggesting a truce could come as early as this or next week, but emphasized that nothing was guaranteed. His comments came as his administration moved to impose sanctions on United Nations Human Rights Council special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel's campaign in Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X that Albanese was being sanctioned 'for her illegitimate and shameful efforts' to prompt International Criminal Court action against U.S. and Israeli 'officials, companies, and executives.' Albanese did not directly address the sanctions, but wrote in a post on X she wrote, 'Just to be sure, on this day more than ever: I stand firmly and convincingly on the side of justice, as I have always done.' The possibility of a pause in fighting in Gaza comes after months of failed efforts to secure a deal. A previous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that ended in March brought around two months of relative calm to the enclave and saw 33 hostages freed in exchange for thousands of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Since then Israel has ramped up its military campaign in Gaza where more than 57,000 people, including thousands of children, have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023, according to health officials in the enclave. Some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 kidnapped in the Hamas-led attacks that day, marking a major escalation in a descadeslong conflict. As talks to secure another ceasefire have go on, Israel has continued to strike Gaza from the air and launched ground assaults in the enclave. Israel has been accused of genocide in its offensive in Gaza by human rights groups, including Amnesty International, and in a case brought by South Africa before the International Court of Justice.
