On August 1, the United States and Russia conducted a landmark prisoner exchange involving 16 people – the first of its kind since 1986 – which resulted in the release of several leading Russian dissidents. 

Among those freed was opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, who recently visited UN Headquarters in New York with Mariana Katzarova, the UN Human Rights Council-appointed independent expert – or Special Rapporteur – who monitors the Russian Federation, to introduce her new report to the General Assembly.

In an interview with UN News’s Nargiz Shekinskaya, Mr. Kara-Murza reflected on his recent release, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the ongoing human rights crisis in his homeland.

He underscored the "horrendous" scale of political imprisonment in Russia, where over 1,300 political prisoners are currently held, and countless others remain invisible.

Stressing that housing is a human right which gives meaning and dignity to people’s lives, the independent UN rights expert – or Special Rapporteur – who monitors the issue has issued an alert over the impact of war, with many civilians simply “losing their houses” as battlefields shift and expand.

Balakrishnan Rajagopal is at the World Urban Forum (WUF12) in Cairo, where he spoke to UN News’s Khaled Mohamed on the challenges of ensuring affordable and safe housing for all.

Close to 70 per cent of the world population lives in cities, which brings opportunities but also major challenges, many of which have featured high on the agenda at this week’s World Urban Forum (WUF12) in Cairo.

Successful urban development must include the perspectives of women and young people, according to the World Bank’s Global Director for urban resilience, who said it was vital to include their voice in decision making and how public space is used.

Ming Zhang spoke to Khaled Mohamed, who’s in Cairo covering the forum for UN News. 

Youth-led initiatives have the potential to significantly impact local urban development, according to the deputy chief of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

Haoliang Xu spoke to UN News ahead of the World Urban Forum which begins in Cairo, Egypt, on 4 November and which brings together people from across the world to discuss the challenges faced by cities.

It’s estimated that by 2050, some 70 percent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, which will put pressure on health services, housing, as well as education, transport infrastructure and the police.

Pia Blondel asked Mr. Xu how cities will cope with the increase in people.

The resumption of the mass polio campaign in northern Gaza this weekend is crucially important to protect children from disease, but they are “absolutely not safe” from daily bombardment.

That’s the message from UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees; along with the UN health agency (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund. Humanitarians must now reach 119,000 children under 10 in northern communities in the coming days to keep them safe from polio, which is highly infectious.

With more, here’s UNRWA Senior Emergency Officer Louise Wateridge who’s been speaking to UN News’s Daniel Johnson from central Gaza.

Pregnant women and girls in Lebanon’s shelters face trauma, harassment and disease, UN humanitarians have warned.

With war still raging in Lebanon, 1.2 million people have been forced to seek safety in hundreds of shelters across the country.

And although 60 per cent of the country’s public schools have been converted into places of refuge for those who’ve fled displacement orders and bombing, there just aren’t enough shelters for everyone.

This problem affects women and girls the most as they are at risk of disease and sexual assault, warned UNFPA, the UN agency for sexual and reproductive health services.

With more, here’s Pamela Di Camillo, UNFPA’s Representative ad interim for Lebanon, who’s been telling UN News’s Nancy Sarkis about the harsh conditions that women – especially those who are pregnant – are facing.

In a time of global crisis, it’s essential not to forget the steady erosion of rights across Afghanistan.

That’s the view of Richard Bennett, the UN’s independent human rights expert – or Special Rapporteur – who monitors the country. He was in New York to present his report to the General Assembly.

Mr. Bennet told UN News’s Vibhu Mishra that members of the international community who’ve pledged support must stay the course “because nowhere else in the world are women treated as appallingly as they are [there] these days”. 

Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council. They serve in their individual capacity, independent of the UN system and national governments. They are not UN staff and draw no salary.

The “big conclusion” of the latest report from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, is that through the systematic use of torture, Russia is guilty of crimes against humanity.

That is the view of Commissioner Pablo de Greiff, who was in New York this week to present the report to the UN General Assembly.

In an interview with UN News’s Evgeniya Kleshcheva, Mr. de Greiff started by describing the challenges they faced collecting evidence as the war in Ukraine rages on. 

The Chairperson of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, on Wednesday presented the commission's latest investigative report to the UN General Assembly.

Navi Pillay and her UN Human Rights Council-appointed team found that Israel has carried out a policy to destroy Gaza’s healthcare system as part of a broader assault; committed war crimes, and deliberately attacked medical personnel and facilities.

The report goes on to conclude that Israel – and Palestinian armed groups – are responsible for torture and sexual and gender-based violence, and that Israeli security forces have deliberately killed, detained and tortured medical personnel.

Ahead of her briefing to the General Assembly, Conor Lennon from UN News sat down with Ms. Pillay in the UN News studios, and he started by asking her to recall a particularly harrowing case mentioned in the report: the killing of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old girl, and her extended family, as well as the paramedics who tried to rescue her. 

The final phase of the polio vaccination campaign in war-ravaged northern Gaza has been postponed due to ongoing hostilities and lack of humanitarian access.

Explaining that two doses are needed for children to reach full immunity, UNICEF Communication Specialist, Rosalia Bollen, told UN News’s Khaled Mohamed on Monday that 120,000 children would be “at great risk” if they do not receive the second dose before mid-November. 

Ms. Bollen described the many risks children are facing on a daily basis across Gaza.