While the COVID-19 crisis has put a heavy strain on societies in Europe and around the world, it has also brought out the best in people and created new bonds.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted unprecedented calls for more solidarity, equality, and social cohesion to make our systems and societies more resilient and able to withstand future shocks. On 23 June 2020, the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe and ILO Brussels invited experts for a public webinar on the human right to social protection in the aftermath of COVID-19, welcoming over 130 participants from around Europe to the discussion.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented challenge to societies worldwide and its consequent economic and social impact has triggered an unparalleled crisis, with a disproportionate impact on the most marginalized. Recovery efforts can help to steer the world onto a safer, healthier, more sustainable and inclusive path, including through stronger social protection measures based on human rights.

The UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe today launched its publication The case for a human rights approach to the rule of law in the EU. Respect for the rule of law, which is a precondition for human rights and democracy, is in decline worldwide. The phenomenon has found fertile ground in the unprecedented circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

International Human Rights Day: Youth leaders come together to talk about their commitment to human rights as they seek to inspire others to also become advocates for inclusion and equality.

Urbanization is one of the most important global trends of the 21st century. As pressure mounts on housing and health services, some groups risk being left behind, including in Europe, the world’s region with the highest ranking in the Human Development Index.

In order to acknowledge the suffering of victims and work towards greater tolerance, more efforts are needed to educate young people about the horror of the Roma genocide that took place during the Second World War, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the United Nations Human Rights Office for Europe in a joint statement on Roma Genocide Remembrance Day.

On World Refugee Day, the UN Human Rights Office in Brussels called on EU member States to prioritize saving the lives of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean.