The discussion reflects deeper tensions between the imperative of accountability for past violations and the sovereign claim of states to lead their own reconciliation processes.
Sri Lanka’s Government has a “historic opportunity” to end decades of impunity and deliver justice for victims of past violations, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has said, urging sweeping reforms to address crimes committed during and after the country’s civil war.
The number killed in violence last year was the highest since the military coup in 2021. Over 1,800 civilians were killed in 2024, many in indiscriminate airstrikes and artillery shelling, with attacks on schools, places of worship and healthcare facilities having become routine.
The mass mobilisation saw participation from people across different backgrounds, including women and children. Faced with this growing opposition, the former government resorted to increasingly violent means to maintain power. The UN report describes a deliberate strategy orchestrated at the highest levels of the former administration.
The joint report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the UN Human Rights Office documented 336 cases of human rights violations against media professionals between August 2021 and September 2024.
The report highlights the severe impact of illicit financial flows from drug markets, which drain critical resources, fuel corruption, and finance both organized crime...
South Asia’s lead crisis is not inevitable. Experience elsewhere demonstrates that decisive regulation, industrial formalisation and community-level interventions can sharply reduce exposure.
Experts at UNEP say that the Emissions Gap Report 2026 does not abandon the 1.5°C goal. Instead it reframes the challenge: minimise the height and length of the overshoot and chart a credible return path.
South Asia’s lead crisis is not inevitable. Experience elsewhere demonstrates that decisive regulation, industrial formalisation and community-level interventions can sharply reduce exposure.
Experts at UNEP say that the Emissions Gap Report 2026 does not abandon the 1.5°C goal. Instead it reframes the challenge: minimise the height and length of the overshoot and chart a credible return path.