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	The commodification and privatisation of water by UN Special Procedure Holders   Social protection is our most effective tool for eradicating poverty - UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter.   The rolling back of protections for people living in poverty has created fertile ground for far-right movements across the world, warned the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, in a new report presented to the United Nations General Assembly today.   “Welfare reform in the name of austerity and efficiency has alienated millions of people living in poverty and played into the hands of a far right looking to exploit discontent,” De Schutter said.   “Government restructuring of welfare systems has led to increasingly harsh conditions linked to receiving benefits and the ramping up of digital surveillance. Programmes once designed to provide basic security to all in times of need now shame and punish the very people they are meant to support.”   The report details how, rather than reducing poverty or cutting public expenditure, modern welfare systems stigmatise claimants, forcing them into unsuitable jobs under the threat of sanctions, subjecting them to algorithms that falsely flag fraud, and even penalising families by removing children when poverty is misclassified as ‘neglect’.   “These punitive welfare systems increase economic insecurity, erode trust in public institutions and leave millions feeling humiliated and abandoned by mainstream politics,” the expert said, citing a study that found that a one-point increase in income inequality corresponded almost exactly to a one-point increase in support for populist parties.   “It is in this void that far-right populists thrive, presenting themselves as champions of those left behind by the ‘elite’,” he said. “But their agenda is not to empower people in poverty – it is to further dismantle protections for their own gain. Once in power, they work to maintain the privileges of the very economic elite they denounce in their speeches, slashing food assistance, healthcare and other life-saving services, and further deepening poverty and exclusion.”   The report highlights deep cuts to social spending in countries ranging from Argentina to the United States, depriving millions of basic healthcare or income support, even as tax cuts shift wealth from the poorest households to the richest.   “These are the politics of exclusion: a deliberate decision to cut off lifelines to the poor while rewarding the richest echelons of society, often in the name of protecting public budgets from ‘outsiders’ or the so-called ‘undeserving poor’,” De Schutter said.   The Special Rapporteur called on governments to shift away from narrowly targeted benefit schemes and towards investing in universal, rights-based social protection to counter the rise of the far right. He urged governments to reframe the welfare state not as a cost to be reduced, but as part of a strategy that has been proven to deliver security and wellbeing for all.   “Social protection is our most effective tool for eradicating poverty. It is not charity, nor is it a favour granted under strict conditions; it is a human right that should be provided to all willingly and with respect,” the expert said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a80138-far-right-populism-and-future-social-protection-report-special http://www.srpoverty.org/2025/10/01/far-right-populism-and-the-future-of-social-protection/ http://docs.un.org/en/A/80/138 http://thewire.in/communalism/global-rise-of-right-wing-populism-olivier-de-schutter-un-special-rapporteur   UN expert deplores continued targeting of health workers and medical facilities   A UN expert today deplored continuing attacks on health care and warned that peace is a fundamental pre-condition for human social and economic development.   “I regret that attacks on healthcare, the destruction of facilities, the killing of health and care workers and large-scale displacement in conflict affected areas continues”, said Tlaleng Mofokeng, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health. “A functioning health system, which encompasses the protection of health and care workers is vital to the enjoyment of the right to health.”   In her report to the UN General Assembly, Mofokeng focuses on health and care workers as oath takers and defenders of the right to health and explores the essentiality of the right to health for the realisation of peace, security and sustainable development.   Putting the right to health into practice is essential for a life of dignity, Mofokeng said, highlighting the key role that health and care workers play in making this right a reality.   “Health and care workers have been the target of violence, and perpetrators of these attacks are not held accountable,” the Special Rapporteur said. “The practice of medicine is not a crime.”   Mofokeng said that States must ensure people have access to basic health facilities, goods, and services, especially in areas affected by ongoing or past conflict, constant military presence, or occupation.   “Health facilities, goods and services should be in line with medical ethics, including the principle of medical impartiality in the treatment of the wounded, as mandated by international humanitarian law,” the expert said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/un-expert-deplores-continued-targeting-health-workers-and-medical-facilities   Administrative measures to counter terrorism must respect human rights: UN expert   Governments must stop the rampant abuse of administrative counter-terrorism measures, including where they are weaponised to stifle civil society, human rights defenders, journalists and political opponents, a UN expert warned today.   “Administrative measures, from security detention to listing individuals and groups as “terrorist”, are proliferating globally. They profoundly affect many human rights and often have fewer due process and judicial protections than under the criminal law,” said Ben Saul, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.   “Without essential safeguards, they are ripe for abuse in democratic and authoritarian States alike. Their abuse also counter-productively undermines national security by fuelling grievances and alienation.”   In his report to the General Assembly this week, Saul recommended best practices to protect human rights while using administrative measures.   The report sets out general principles to guide their responsible use before focusing on four common measures: (1) restrictive orders, such as limits on movement, communication and association, (2) listing of individuals and organisations as terrorist, to seize assets or criminalise behaviour, (3) administrative security detention, and (4) compulsory preventive interventions to reform behaviour.   “Given the risks involved, such measures should be only used exceptionally and where strictly necessary to prevent terrorism and proportionate to that aim, and applied on a non-discriminatory basis,” the Special Rapporteur said.   “The grounds for issuing them must be clearly defined in law and based on an underlying definition of terrorism that meets international standards. Measures must also be time limited,” he said.   The report calls for rigorous procedural safeguards, including adequate disclosure of evidence, accessible judicial review, and prompt and effective remedies, including compensation where rights have been violated.   “Administrative measures should not normally substitute for criminal prosecution where feasible or be misused to circumvent the stronger protections of criminal trials,” Saul said.   The Special Rapporteur cautioned against imposing administrative measures based on unreliable risk assessment tools, including those powered by artificial intelligence.   The special needs of vulnerable groups must be taken into account, including persons with disabilities or mental health conditions, victims of terrorist groups and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Measures should only be exceptionally applied to children.   “Administrative security detention is particularly dangerous, since it can too easily enable arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and arbitrary deprivation of life,” the expert said. “Recent abuses of administrative detention in armed conflicts are testament to these risks.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/administrative-measures-counter-terrorism-must-respect-human-rights-un   Repression of climate activists undermines a just transition: UN expert   The climate crisis is a human rights crisis and those calling for their governments to mitigate its impacts must be protected as human rights defenders, a UN expert told the UN General Assembly today, urging States to end the consistent pattern of attacks against those calling for climate action.   “In their struggle to keep control of the narrative around climate action, States are repressing the voices of the exact people they should be working alongside. Journalists, women human rights defenders, indigenous and traditional peoples are at particular risk, including those in the communities feeling the brunt of climate impacts so far,” said Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.   In her report to the UN General Assembly, Lawlor urged States to take radical action on climate change to avoid a human rights catastrophe. “People all around the world have been calling for climate action for decades. As they have been ignored, and the climate crisis has spiralled, they have found new ways to organise and advocate, including through civil disobedience.”   The expert said that instead of engaging constructively, States have resorted to criminalisation, repressive laws, police violence, and surveillance.   “We are seeing a backlash in every region of the world, with the repression particularly prevalent in historically high-emitting States and places where fossil fuel infrastructure is being expanded,” she said.   The Special Rapporteur highlighted the role human rights defenders play in fighting deforestation and ensuring the transition from the fossil fuel economy does not come at the expense of human rights, particularly the rights of those already most discriminated against in our societies.   She called on States to work for a transition that respects, protects and preserves the possibility of the true realisation of human rights for a   “There will be no ‘just transition’ if the current extractive model of energy production is copied and pasted onto the shift from fossil fuels,” the expert said.   “Human rights defenders are calling for the change we need, a turn towards respect, protection and realisation of all human rights for all,” she said.   Lawlor called for the safe and meaningful participation of human rights defenders in the Conference Of Parties (COP) on climate, detailing the litany of abuses defenders have faced when trying to intervene at the conference in the past, and highlighting the particularly repressive environment in recent years.   “What we are seeing is completely unsustainable,” the Special Rapporteur said. “There must be change, and that change must have human rights and human rights defenders at its core. There is far too much to lose.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/repression-climate-activists-undermines-just-transition-un-expert   UN expert calls for model law on neurotechnologies to protect right to privacy.   Regulation of neurotechnologies is vital to ensure an ethical approach and protect the right to privacy in an increasingly digital age, a UN expert said today.   In a report to the UN General Assembly, Ana Brian Nougreres, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, called for the development of a model law on neurotechnologies and neurodata processing from the perspective of the right to privacy.   “Rapid development of neurotechnology poses challenges to physical and mental integrity and the safeguarding of human rights,” Brian Nougreres said. “The international community needs to develop a set of recommended guidelines for applying the existing human rights framework to the conception, design, development, testing, use and deployment of neurotechnologies.”   The report acknowledges the advances in neurotechnologies and their impact, both positive and negative, on society and identifies key fundamental pillars that are important to consider when developing a regulatory framework, taking into consideration the right to privacy and human dignity.   “A robust national legal framework that guarantees the right to privacy including the principles of informed consent, ethics in design, the precautionary principle and non-discrimination is crucial to ensure a balance between technological innovation and the protection of human rights,” the Special Rapporteur said.   To ensure the proper treatment of neurodata, which is highly sensitive personal information, the expert stressed that there is an urgent need to establish guidelines taking into consideration ethical practices and to oversee such practices, preventing any misuse that could compromise privacy or lead to discrimination.   “We need greater awareness and education on the risks associated with neurotechnologies to enable people to better understand their impact, make informed decisions about their neurodata, and demand respect for their rights in this new technological era,” Brian Nougreres said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/un-expert-calls-model-law-neurotechnologies-protect-right-privacy   UN expert demands global action to democratise water governance and protect human rights. (OHCHR)   Governments must abandon market-driven models and embrace democratic, rights-based approaches that recognise water as a common good essential to life, dignity and social cohesion, a UN expert said today.   In a report to the UN General Assembly, Pedro Arrojo Agudo, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, called for a “paradigm shift” in global water governance.   “We are not facing a crisis of scarcity that can be resolved with technology alone,” said Arrojo Agudo. “We are facing a democratic crisis. Billions of people are not simply lacking water—they are impoverished and marginalised, living near rivers or polluted aquifers, while powerful interests exploit their water sources.”   The report challenges the commodification and privatisation of water, warning that financialisation strategies, such as public-private partnerships and speculative water markets, undermine human rights and environmental sustainability.   “Managing water through speculative futures markets puts human rights at risk,” Arrojo Agudo said. “Water must be governed as a common good, accessible to all but not appropriable by anyone.”   He said water governance must be rooted in the principles of equality, non-discrimination, participation, accountability, sustainability, and legality. He calls for the recognition of customary and Indigenous water tenure and for the empowerment of communities—especially women—as central actors in water management.   “Democratic governance must be participatory and non-discriminatory,” he said. “It must promote the equal participation of women and respect the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and peasants.”   The report also addresses the climate emergency, advocating for a “water transition” to complement energy transition strategies. This includes restoring aquatic ecosystems, protecting aquifers and wetlands, and implementing inclusive hydrological and urban planning to reduce vulnerability to droughts and floods.   “Aquifers are the water lungs of nature,” the expert said. “They store 30 times more water than surface flows and are vital for managing the extraordinary droughts that climate change is making increasingly frequent.”   The Special Rapporteur called for targeted public subsidies and soft financing mechanisms to ensure affordability and sustainability, especially in rural and impoverished areas.   “The scarcity of water or public funds does not justify ignoring or relegating the priority of guaranteeing human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation,” he said. “Governments must prioritise these rights in their budgets. The priority for women from the poorest families is bringing water to their homes. Governments should follow their example.”   The expert called on states, multilateral institutions, and civil society to reject the commodification of water and embrace democratic governance models that protect both people and ecosystems.   “The billions of people without guaranteed access to safe drinking water do not represent a business opportunity,” he said. “They represent a global democratic challenge.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/10/un-expert-demands-global-action-democratise-water-governance-and-protect Visit the related web page
	Protecting individual’s rights against the improper processing of their personal data by UN Office for Human Rights, agencies   Global challenges to international collection of personal data.   Adopting measures to prevent impunity on the internet regarding the processing of personal data is vital to ensure an ethical approach and protect fundamental human rights in the digital age, a UN expert said today.   In a report to the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, Ana Brian Nougreres, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, analysed the current practice of international collection of personal data and expressed concern that the rules on international data transfer do not cover all international collection of personal data and this puts individuals’ right to privacy at risk.   “The global technological context has changed dramatically since the need to protect individual’s rights against the improper processing of their personal data first arose,” the expert said.   “The internet has unleashed a host of challenges to the law, including those relating to the international collection of personal data, since it has not been defined as a legal phenomenon in international documents and lacks a comprehensive and legally binding regime to protect the rights of individuals who may be subject to a privacy violation.”   The guidelines governing international data transfers are not applicable to international data collection because there is no data sender that can be controlled by the local authorities of the country of origin of the data.   “The challenge in international data collection is that billions of people with internet access who, from anywhere in the world, collect data from other people located in countries other than that of the collector,” Brian Nougreres explained.   “Therefore, the international collection of personal data presents challenges that require a coordinated response at the national and international level,” the expert said.   The Special Rapporteur called on States to draft an international treaty that comprehensively addresses the challenges posed by the international collection of personal data to protect individuals’ rights. The expert also encouraged States to modify the scope of application of national and local regulations on personal data processing, so they also cover extraterritorial scope of application regarding the international collection of personal data.   The new report complements the expert’s 2024 General Assembly report which proposed to update GA Resolution 45/95 entitled "Guiding principles for the regulation of computerized personal data files."   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/un-expert-highlights-global-challenges-international-collection-personal   Mar. 2026   World must define terrorism to protect human rights: UN expert   States must urgently adopt an international definition of terrorism to protect human rights from terrorism and excessive State responses to it, says a new report by Ben Saul, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.   “For decades, vague and overbroad definitions of terrorism have led to countless human rights violations,” Saul said, presenting his report to the Human Rights Council. “These include unlawful killings, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, unfair trials, privacy breaches, refoulement, and violations of political freedoms.”   “The abuse of counter-terrorism laws has become a tool of choice to suppress critics and civil society, including through transnational repression,” the Special Rapporteur said. “False accusations of terrorism have even led to illegal aggression.” He noted that excessive definitions can counterproductively fuel grievances and reduce cooperation with authorities.   International law requires terrorism offences to be precise so that individuals understand their liability. Offences must be limited to genuinely terrorist conduct.   The Special Rapporteur’s model definition limits terrorism to serious criminal acts that intentionally cause death, serious bodily injury, or hostage-taking, where the conduct: is intended to either (i) provoke a state of terror in the public or a group of persons, or (ii) unduly compel a Government or an international organisation to do or to abstain from doing any act; aims to advance a political or ideological purpose; and intentionally causes serious damage to a country or an international organisation.   The definition thus limits terrorism to serious harms to people, not merely property, and differentiates political violence from organized crime for profit.   The model definition also recommends exceptions for:   Acts of protest that do not intentionally cause death or serious bodily injury; Conduct in armed conflict that does not violate international humanitarian law; Humanitarian activities by impartial humanitarian organizations; Activities of State military forces that are consistent with international law; and Acts intended to establish or re-establish democracy, constitutional Government or the rule of law, or protect human rights.   The report warns that States must not commit terrorism and that officials can be criminally liable for it. ”In responding to State terrorism, other Governments must always respect international law,” Saul said.   “Adopting a definition that respects human rights is essential to prevent the abuse of counter-terrorism laws and narratives and ensure countering terrorism is effective and legitimate.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/world-must-define-terrorism-protect-human-rights-un-expert   Mar. 2026   Concern warrantless surveillance would be a detriment to the privacy and civil rights and liberties of people in the United States.   90 civil society groups have urged congressional Democrats to “stand firm against White House efforts to extend government surveillance powers” by renewing “without new safeguards” a highly controversial surveillance authorization.   Free Press Action and Demand Progress are leading the call to senior Democratic lawmakers to not reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without first enacting privacy reforms.   “Section 702 has been used to conduct millions of warrantless ‘backdoor’ searches for the phone calls, text messages, and emails of people in the United States,” the groups said in a letter to senior Democrats leaders.   The groups which include the ACLU, the Brennan Centre for Justice, Human Rights First, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Access Now, Indivisible, National Immigrant Justice Center, Public Citizen, cited recent reporting from Politico stating that Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff, supports extending the program that empowers federal agencies to surveil and collect the data of noncitizens abroad without a warrant.   “Supporting warrantless surveillance would be a massive detriment to the privacy and civil rights and liberties of people in the United States,” the letter adds. “These surveillance authorities have long jeopardized privacy, and efforts to continue them without meaningful reforms and sufficient oversight are deeply troubling.”   The groups emphasize the imperative to close the so-called backdoor search loophole—via which domestic law enforcement agencies can access Americans’ communications without a warrant—and the data broker loophole, which lets the government to buy its way around Fourth Amendment proscriptions on warrantless search and seizure by purchasing sensitive information from private vendors.   Earlier this month, more than 70 congressional Democrats demanded a new investigation into warrantless purchases of Americans’ location data by Department of Homeland Security agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement.   “There are terrifying risks to reauthorizing government surveillance powers that have been abused to spy on protesters, immigrants, journalists, and even political candidates under any presidential administration,” said Jenna Ruddock, advocacy director at Free Press Action. “People across the country and on both sides of the aisle agree, and overwhelmingly support urgently needed reforms to FISA.”   “This White House in particular has relentlessly labelled perceived political opponents as ‘domestic terrorists,’ justifying in their minds the relentless surveillance and persecution of those who oppose the administration’s agenda,” Ruddock added. “Congress must insist on these common-sense reforms and put the civil and constitutional rights of Americans above the authoritarian desires of this administration.”   http://www.freepress.net/news/massive-coalition-calls-democratic-leadership-stand-firm-against-stephen-millers-plans
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