Hungary's new government is taking its first steps to address low pension levels and rising poverty among older people. I argue here that these announcements are positive, but that deeper pension reform should follow. Thanks @mercehu.bsky.social for the HU version. www.hrw.org/news/2026/07...

Hungary: New Government’s First Step on Pensioner Poverty

Prime Minister Péter Magyar is moving swiftly with policy measures and legislative reform that will hopefully have positive impacts on people’s lives and rights. On May 25, he announced in an intervie...

hrw.org

Just published for @hrw.org in @mercehu.bsky.social, an op-ed on the important first steps that the new Tisza government has taken on improving pensions and old age poverty, and the hard work that lies ahead for a fundamental overhaul of pensions. merce.hu/2026/07/01/n...

„Nincs reményem a jövőre nézve. Így fogok élni életem végéig” – alapjaiban kell megváltoztatni a nyugdíjrendszert « Mérce

Mélyrehatóbb nyugdíjreformra van szükség.

merce.hu

With record-level abuses against children in war, many countries are working together to hold abusers to account. Still a long way to go for an effective crimes against humanity treaty, but growing support to include justice for crimes against children www.hrw.org/news/2026/06...

1/4 Good news from Hungary. Prosecutorial authorities have dropped charges against people linked to organizing Pride 2025 events in Budapest and Pécs, who were facing prosecution including on evidently spurious "child protection" grounds. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🩷🩵🤍🤎 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Job opportunity: campaigner on "everyday rights" at @amnestyuk.bsky.social -- or economic, social, and cultural rights. Part-time (21 h/w), fixed-term (until May 2027) Deadline June 15. See amnestyuk.ciphr-irecruit.com/applicants/v...

Amnesty International UK Careers | Campaigner (FTC)

More details can be found by downloading the job description from our careers portal.

amnestyuk.ciphr-irecruit.com

Super interesting initiative in Germany @fian-international.bsky.social -- people and farmers with experience of poverty working together: www.fian.de/aktuelles/pr... (learned about it from @why-not.eurosky.social, who you should follow if you're interested in Germany poverty/social security things)

Pressemitteilung - Neue Allianz: armutserfahrene Menschen und Bäuer*innen arbeiten zusammen - FIAN Deutschland e.V.

fian.de

We @hrw.org support this initiative led by friends at @justfairuk.bsky.social and the UK ESCR Network to draw attention to unfulfilled economic, social, and cultural rights promises in the UK. The UK government ratified the ICESCR 50 years ago. It is still not incorporated in domestic law.

Just Fair@justfairuk.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🚨 Breaking: 76 civil society orgs have written to the UK Gov calling for economic, social & cultural rights to be recognised. 50 years ago today, the UK ratified #ICESCR50 and promised rights including housing, food & health. That promise remains unfulfilled. Read 👇 justfair.org.uk/wp-content/u...

A strong statement by @commissionerhr.coe.int Michael O'Flaherty and UN Special Rapporteur @deschuttero.bsky.social on social rights and the fight against poverty (in advance of the Council of Europe High-Level Conference on Social Rights in Chișinău this week) www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

Social Rights: An Essential Component of the Fight Against Poverty - Commissioner for Human Rights - www.coe.int

Chișinău, Republic of Moldova 18 March 2026

coe.int

Merci à la section #LDH de #montceaulesmines pour son invitation le 21 février. Un temps d'échanges et de reflexion sur les droits humains comme outils de lutte contre les inégalités sociales. Merci à @sylvainaubry.bsky.social pour son intervention très riche et stimulante.

“It is as if we have become hired workers for someone, not landowners” - a cotton farmer from the Khorezm region. A new @hrw.org - @uzbekforum.bsky.social report examines the coercive state production system of cotton & wheat in #Uzbekistan. More here: hrw.org/news/2026/02...

More worrying developments on the rule of law in Hungary. “Shutting down court cases by decree is not how a democracy functions. This is the government telling the courts what they can address simply because it does not like the legal challenge or those bringing it.” www.hrw.org/news/2026/02...

Hungary: Blocking Lawsuits Undermines Rule of Law

Hungary’s government dealt a severe blow to the rule of law by issuing a decree that terminates ongoing court cases challenging a tax on municipalities, Human Rights Watch said today. The move sets a ...

hrw.org

As the evidence points to the increasing need for a strong welfare state, the German government looks set to weaken social security protection and the safety net by reverting to a harsh, punitive, and less generous approach.

SoVD – Sozialverband Deutschland e.V.@sovdbund.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Immer mehr Menschen kommen nicht mehr über die Runden: 13,3 Millionen Menschen gelten als armutsgefährdet, das sind mehr als 16 % der Bevölkerung. Insgesamt sind sogar über 21 % von #Armut oder sozialer Ausgrenzung bedroht. Die Zahlen zeigen deutlich, wie unverzichtbar ein starker #Sozialstaat ist.

What do taxes have to do with human rights? New York is hosting negotiations for a UN Convention on International Tax Cooperation this week. HRW's @sarahsaadoun.bsky.social explains more ⤵️

Children living near Ethiopia's largest gold mine have been exposed to toxic pollution. Next week, the UN Child Rights Committee, at its Ethiopia session, should push for the mine's suspension and an independent assessment. www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

Children Affected by Ethiopia Mine Pollution Need Justice

People living near Lega Dembi gold mine in Ethiopia’s Oromia region have for years complained about serious health impacts, including children born with long-term health conditions, miscarriages, and ...

hrw.org

New @hrw.org research out tomorrow on inadequate pensions and older people experiencing poverty in Hungary 🇭🇺 - interview testimony from older people 👵🏻👴🏻 - difficulties affording food 🍞🥩🍓☕, gas/electricity 🔌💡, medical supplies 💊🤕 - lots of graphs and charts 📊〽️ Media queries to @kooyjan.bsky.social

Kartik Raj@kartikraj.eurosky.social · 9mo ago

1/3 I’ve just returned home after a week interviewing older people on low pension incomes in Hungary for @hrw.org. The findings will be out in the coming months. This photo is of an 80 year old woman showing me her notebook of expenses, in which every last forint is meticulously accounted for.

One for most devoted human rights law nerds: www.hertie-school.org/en/news/deta...

Vote for the Best United Nations Treaty Body Decision of 2025!

Our researchers invite you to take part in selecting the best UNTB decision of 2025, following the second run of the poll in 2024.

hertie-school.org

Zohran Mamdani explains that thousands and thousands of New Yorkers are already eligible for free and reduce public transportation, but because of the bureaucratic hurdles they never get enrolled in the program. That's why he wants to just make the bus free.

Starting today, States are meeting in Kenya to negotiate enviro policies ahead of #UNEA7, incl. a key proposal by the Colombian government on environmental protection in mining. This could open up the path to a new global mining, and bring real change. www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...

An Opportunity to Address Mining Abuses Globally

When 29-year-old Norbert Amoya went to fetch water from a river in northern Zambia earlier this year, he found large numbers of dead fish and the water had a strange smell. The cause was a major minin...

hrw.org

🌿 On my way to a personal trip to discover the deep Amazon jungle this week, I met Cloves — and little did I expect that his story would be a living testimony how social policies can transform lives...

Can’t wait until someone asks about the European Social Charter (1961) and the Revised European Social Charter (1996) are, and how those relate. I’ll grab the popcorn🍿

Council of Europe@coe.int · 8mo ago

Do not get confused! ✅ ECHR: Council of Europe treaty, enforced by the @echr.coe.int. ✅ EU Charter of Fundamental Rights: ensures EU law compliance within its 27 member states. ✅ Universal Declaration of Human Rights: promote and protect rights globally. go.coe.int/ZF9Jd

Good riddance to rubbish policy. The end to the UK's "two child limit" social security policy has been announced, and it will soon be gone. We @hrw.org welcome the news, as one of many, many, many voices calling for an end to this arbitrary, cruel social security policy.

There are solutions, now, to fund social AND climate priorities. In the last 2 weeks, I saw first-hand in Nairobi how governments negotiating the UN tax convention could collaborate to raise trillions of dollars. And yet in Belém at #COP30 they pretend not having enough money.

Human Rights Watch@hrw.org · 8mo ago

There's enough money in the world to accelerate the phase out of fossil fuels. This is why governments should support the UN Tax Treaty. At #COP30, @sylvainaubry.bsky.social discusses the need for governments to finalize a UN Tax Treaty by 2027.

There's enough money in the world to accelerate the phase out of fossil fuels. This is why governments should support the UN Tax Treaty. At #COP30, @sylvainaubry.bsky.social discusses the need for governments to finalize a UN Tax Treaty by 2027.

Groundbreaking #COP30: amidst a pretty disappointing conference, a cheering and clapping room adopted a Just Transition resolution that contains the strongest human rights language at COP, and create a mechanism to follow on just transition. Social justice now has a home at COP.

Movement from 🇨🇦 in #COP30 High-Level Ministerial Round Table on Just Transition!!! 💥 Canada is "open to options that strengthen the contribution of the UNFCCC to the broader just transition discussion, without duplicating existing work and works towards the Paris agreement temperature goal."

Why is making the transition away from fossil fuel just one of the key items at #COP30? How can human rights help move to a carbon-free economy as quickly as possible? My colleague Jim Wormington and I from the Economic Justice team at HRW discuss it in less than a minute here x.com/hrw/status/...

The 2nd round of UN Tax Convention talks starts today in Nairobi, Kenya, potentially unlocking trillions of dollars. Holding these negotiations in Africa itself is a key step towards decolonizing international law. With nearly 100 CSO representatives , the world is watching!

This week world leaders made commitments to fulfil rights at #WSS2. But this won’t happen without money. We’re now looking at Nairobi where the UN Tax Convention #UNTC negotiations are resuming on Monday - it could be the key to deliver on those commitments. www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...

World Leaders Commit to Supporting Social Development and Rights

At the second United Nations Social Summit in Qatar this week, dozens of governments adopted the Doha Political Declaration, renewing their commitments to tackle poverty, create decent work, combat di...

hrw.org

🚨Human Rights Watch just published a new 101-page Sri Lanka report 'Tax Giveaways, Struggling Schools'. A panel of experts will discuss the findings from 16:00 local time in Colombo (12:30 CET), with an introduction by @fborello.bsky.social. Live-stream⤵️ www.facebook.com/neelantiruch...

Morocco's youth have clear-cut demands for better healthcare, education & end to corruption. If the government can fund state-of-the art stadiums, it can afford to fund its healthcare. Calls for reform should not be met with repression, lethal force @hrw.org www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...

Morocco: Protests Met with Repression, Violence

Moroccan authorities have cracked down on youth-led protests demanding sweeping reforms to public services, resulting in deaths and mass arrests.

hrw.org