The findings contain the Committee’s main concerns and recommendations on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, as well as positive aspects. Key highlights include: IndiaThe Committee was gravely concerned about reports of large-scale violations perpetrated by law enforcement officials against ethnic and ethno-religious groups, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, including Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, particularly Dalits, and non-citizens. These included racially motivated violence, excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary and prolonged detention without due process, torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence. The Committee called on India to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all such allegations and ensure accountability for those responsible. The Committee highlighted the increase in law enforcement operations targeting Rohingya, Bengali-speaking Muslims, migrants and asylum-seekers, particularly following the 2017 Home Affairs order and the April 2025 Pahalgam attack in Kashmir. It noted that police stops and identity checks involving racial profiling had reportedly resulted in arbitrary arrest and detention without due process, as well as torture and ill-treatment. It was also concerned about deportations and forcible returns of people in need of international protection, in violation of the principle of non-refoulement. The Committee called on India to urgently address discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes against Rohingya, Bengali-speaking Muslims, migrants and asylum-seekers, protect their rights, refrain from collective expulsions and ensure access to international protection in line with the principle of non-refoulement. FinlandThe Committee remained concerned that self-determination and participation in decision-making are not yet fully guaranteed for the Sámi, and that their traditional lands and resources are not adequately protected, particularly from wind power and mining projects carried out without sufficient free, prior and informed consent. It also noted that Sámi traditional livelihoods, including reindeer husbandry, fishing and hunting, remain under increasing pressure from competing land use, restrictions and climate change. The Committee called on Finland to ensure that decisions and projects affecting the Sámi are not approved without their free, prior and informed consent, and to strengthen protection of their lands and traditional livelihoods. It also recommended improving access to Sámi-language education, healthcare and social services. The Committee noted with concern that racist hate speech had reached alarming levels in public discourse, particularly online, in sports and in the political sphere, including speech by public figures and members of Parliament targeting migrants, Muslims and other groups. It also noted that prosecutions and convictions for hate crimes remained low, and that gaps persisted in the criminal law framework. The Committee called on Finland to reform the Criminal Code, effectively investigate and prosecute racist hate speech, incitement to racial hatred and racially motivated violence, and ensure that racial motivation is properly identified and recorded. It also recommended that racist hate speech by public officials and members of Parliament be promptly and unequivocally condemned. HondurasThe Committee expressed concern about forced evictions of Indigenous and Afro-Honduran Peoples, including allegations of excessive use of force by law enforcement. It particularly underscored that usurpation and aggravated usurpation charges are being used to criminalise members of these communities for occupying or defending their lands. It recommended a moratorium on evictions until the recognition, regularisation and collective titling of Indigenous and Afro-Honduran lands, territories and natural resources are completed. It also called for laws on usurpation, aggravated usurpation and preventive evictions to be repealed or aligned with international obligations, so that they are not used to criminalise these communities or violate their rights. The Committee further recommended revising the Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agro-industrial Sector to prevent its use as a basis for evictions. It also urged Honduras to develop and adopt, in consultation with these communities, a legislative framework to ensure their free, prior and informed consent regarding any measures affecting their rights, lands, sacred places, and traditional ways of life, particularly regarding extractive, agro-industrial, infrastructure or environmental conservation projects. The Committee remained concerned about the high number of killings, reprisals, threats and acts of intimidation against human rights defenders, including Indigenous and Afro-Honduran leaders and community members, by both State and non-State actors, including organised crime groups and individuals linked to companies involved in disputes with these communities. It called for thorough, impartial and effective investigations, prosecution and punishment of those responsible, and adequate reparations for victims and their families. It also recommended strengthening the National Protection Mechanism and the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and ensuring timely implementation of precautionary measures issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Kuwait
The Committee underscored the persistent discrimination against migrant workers, particularly domestic workers, who continue to face heightened risks of exploitation and abuse under the kafala sponsorship system. It highlighted reports of physical, psychological and sexual violence, non-payment or delayed payment of wages, and excessive working hours. The Committee urged Kuwait to abolish the kafala system and replace it with a government-regulated residency and work permit system that better protects migrant workers. It also called for prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into allegations of abuse and exploitation, prosecution of perpetrators, and effective remedies for victims. The Committee expressed serious concern that Bidoon/stateless persons who continue to be classified as illegal residents and face discrimination in law and practice. They encounter major obstacles in obtaining civil documentation and accessing employment, social protection, housing, healthcare and education. They Committee also expressed concern about reports that Kuwaiti nationality had been revoked from a significant number of individuals without adequate, transparent and due process, placing them at serious risk of statelessness and adversely affecting their enjoyment of their rights. The Committee called for effective measures to end this discrimination, resolve their longstanding status in line with international human rights standards, and end their classification as illegal residents. It also recommended that Kuwait ensure prompt and non-discriminatory access to civil documentation and remove barriers to employment, social protection, adequate housing, healthcare and education. The Committee also called for all decisions on nationality revocation to be based on clear, objective grounds, follow an individual assessment with transparent due process safeguards, and not result in statelessness.  The above findings, officially named Concluding Observations, are now available online on the session page. [ENDS] For more information and media requests in Geneva, please contact:
Vivian Kwok at vivian.kwok@un.org 
UN Human Rights Office Media Section at ohchr-media@un.org 

For more information and media requests in India, please contact:
Chandramouli Guha at chandramouli.guha@un.org 
National Information Officer, UN Information Centre for India & Bhutan Background
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination monitors States parties’ adherence to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which, to date has 182 States parties. The Committee is made up of 18 members who are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties.

RIO DE JANEIRO/GENEVA, 27 July 2026—A special report released by UNAIDS for the 26th International AIDS Conference taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 27 to 31 July, shows that reductions to international funding and cuts to HIV prevention and community services are likely to lead to a resurgence of the epidemic.  Although new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are at their lowest levels in more than 30 years, the current HIV response is extremely fragile. Efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 are at risk unless global solidarity is restored and inequalities are addressed.  In 2025, 1.2 million people acquired HIV, but progress is uneven. New HIV infections rose in three regions and 21 countries in 2025. Around 9 million of the 41 million people living with HIV were not on treatment and almost half of all children living with HIV did not have access to antiretroviral therapy in 2025. More than half a million people (570 000) died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2025. Positively seven countries* achieved an almost 80% reduction in new infections since 2010 and 11 countries achieved the 95-95-95** treatment targets showing that progress is possible. Science and innovation offer a major opportunity. The world is on the cusp of an HIV prevention revolution in prevention medicines which offer close to vaccine like protection against HIV. Monthly and six-monthly injections are slowly trickling into the market, and monthly pills are in late-stage trials. What is coming to market and in the pipeline is extraordinary, however the challenge remains scale and inequitable access. “Scientific breakthroughs are giving us tools that previous generations could only dream of,” said Ms Byanyima. “However, innovation without access is not innovation, it is injustice. The test of success is not whether medicines exist—it is whether the people who need them can get them, and at an affordable price.” Brazil has increased the number of people accessing HIV prevention medicines at least once in the past year by 41%. Ethiopia and Uganda also took action to expand access through domestic and other funding, and South Africa is continuing to negotiate pricing deals for the twice-yearly prevention injections lenacapavir. However, despite being part of the trials for lenacapavir, Brazil has not been granted voluntary licensing from producer Gilead to enable cost-effective pricing or the introduction of generic alternatives and is considering compulsory licensing.  UNITAID, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and partners have pulled money together to start rolling out lenacapavir to reach 3 million 2028 which is welcome news, but this remains a drop in the ocean, currently reaching just a few thousand people. UNAIDS estimates that 20 million people need of access to antiretroviral based prevention to have a real impact in stopping new HIV infections. Overseas development assistance (ODA) has collapsed. Global development assistance from multiple countries fell by 23% in 2025—the sharpest drop on record—a large proportion of which was for global health and HIV programmes have been hit hard. High burden, highly indebted, low-income countries of Africa depended on ODA for the success of their AIDS responses. Many of these countries were more than 90% dependent on ODA for their HIV responses.  “The era of relying on international aid is over,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Countries cannot wait and they cannot go backwards. The world must urgently fix the broken financial system and accelerate debt restructuring so that governments can invest in what matters most—the health, education and futures of their people.” International financing for HIV from multiple countries declined by more than US$ 1.5 billion, from US$ 8.8 billion in 2024 to US$ 7.3 billion in 2025, an 18% reduction and the lowest level in nearly two decades.  HIV prevention services were largely funded from international funding. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, 80% of prevention funding came from international aid. Community-led organizations received up to 25% of foreign HIV assistance in 2024. Surveys show that in some countries these organizations reached 22% of people living with HIV and up to 60% of marginalized populations with life-saving services. With the absence of donor support and stronger domestic investment, HIV prevention and community-led HIV service delivery risk total collapse.   Funding for condoms has been cut by more than 90% in some countries. A 2026 study, across 47 countries, found steep reductions in community-led services—50% for community-led support for prevention medicines and HIV care—85% for services for gay men and other men who have sex with men—82% for sex workers—and 72% for survivors of gender-based violence.  Human rights are under attack and there is a reversal of rights including the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls and marginalized populations. For the first time since UNAIDS has been tracking these trends, criminalization of marginalized populations increased. In 2025, Burkina Faso and Niger introduced criminalization of same-sex sexual activity, and Senegal increased penalties for same-sex sexual activity in 2026.  In 2026, 168 countries criminalized sex work, 152 countries criminalized possession of small amounts of drugs, 66 countries criminalized same sex sexual relations, and 14 countries criminalized transgender people.  “You cannot end AIDS while criminalizing people living with and most at risk of HIV,” said Ms Byanyima. “When people fear arrest, violence or discrimination, they stay away from HIV services. Human rights are not separate from the HIV response—they are essential to its success.” Despite the push back on human rights, in June 2026, 149 Member States adopted a progressive Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS aligned with the UNAIDS Global AIDS Strategy 2026–2031 and its 2030 targets. The new 2030 targets include 40 million people on life-saving treatment, 20 million with access to antiretroviral-based prevention. The targets also include less than 10% of people living with or at risk of HIV experiencing stigma and discrimination, less than 10% of women and girls and people living with or at risk of HIV experiencing gender inequality and violence, and less than 10% of countries having punitive legal and policy environments that deny or limit access to HIV services. If fully achieved, the commitments would avert an additional 3.2 million new HIV infections and 1.3 million AIDS-related deaths by 2030.  “Despite enormous challenges ending AIDS is still within reach,” said Ms Byanyima. “At AIDS 2026 UNAIDS is urging all partners and governments to remobilize and push forward to achieve the ambitious targets in the Political Declaration. This will require renewed solidarity, sustained financing and unwavering commitment to human rights. The choice before us is clear: retreat and risk resurgence, or rethink, rebuild and rise to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.” *Benin, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Nepal, Rwanda and Zimbabwe **95% of all people living with HIV who know their status, 95% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection accessing antiretroviral therapy, 95% of all people accessing ART who are virally suppressed. Contact UNAIDS Geneva | Sophie Barton Knott | tel. +41 79 514 6896 | bartonknotts@unaids.org 

I am pleased to be with you today, at a moment of great challenge to international law.

The work of this Commission has rarely been more vital, and I say so with full awareness of how often those words are spoken in these halls.

These are trying times for the rule of law, for multilateralism, and for the United Nations itself.

The norms that form the bedrock of the international legal order are being challenged, eroded – and at times openly defied.

Institutions that represent decades of hard-won achievement are under mounting strain – and in some quarters, under open attack.

And impunity is on the rise.

Finding legal solutions to today’s crises is a fundamental duty for us all.

And shaping the future of international law – by anticipating tomorrow’s challenges – falls with particular weight on this Commission.

Let us be clear: international law is under pressure – but it will prevail.

Most States continue to defend it – and trust in it.

The dockets of international tribunals demonstrate as much.
And its language is invoked even by those who do not always honour it.

That is a testament to the enduring authority of the framework this Commission helps develop and codify.

I welcome the recent convening of diplomatic conferences on two issues born of work done in this very house.  

First, on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity.

And second, on the protection of persons in the event of disasters.

They are living proof that the progressive development and codification of international law endures – and advances.

I also offer my warm congratulations to the Commission for completing, in 2025, its landmark report on sea-level rise in relation to international law.

This is a seminal contribution to the international legal order: rigorous, forward-looking, and of lasting consequence.

Rising seas are sinking futures.

They endanger coastlines, livelihoods – and even the very existence of States themselves.

For small island developing States – the least responsible for this crisis – the threat is existential.

Sea-level rise is a threat multiplier.

We must act now to close the gaps in existing legal frameworks – before it’s too late.

The Commission’s report lays essential groundwork for the work the General Assembly will take up later this year.

And the next steps now rest with Member States.

My hope is that the international community will rise to the moment with the same resolve this Commission has brought to the task.

The world needs rigorous legal thinking – drawing on different legal traditions, diverse points of view and backgrounds.

It needs the wisdom and lived experience that the women and men in this room bring to the work of the Commission.

It needs the patient, careful development of legal norms and rules that can hold firm under pressure.

And the steady conviction that law – not power – must govern relations among nations.

I look forward to the results of this session, and I am deeply grateful for your dedication.

When I opened the general debate of the General Assembly last year, I challenged world leaders to reaffirm the imperative of international law;

To reassert the centrality of multilateralism; to reinforce justice and human rights;

And, simultaneously, to recognize the purposes and principles that gave rise to this Organization.

That call rings more urgently today than ever.

The work of this Commission is one of its clearest answers.

And I congratulate you for your extremely important contribution to the rule of law in today’s world.

Thank you.

[END]

I’m delighted to be back in India.  I’ve had very productive talks with ministers and business leaders over the past two days, with more coming up. A constant theme runs through the discussions:   Climate action is game-changing for India, its economy and its people.   I'm from the Caribbean – a fellow cricket-loving region, so let me use an analogy:  India’s clean energy growth is like Sachin Tendulkar and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ...  rolled into one: a stellar record, but the story is just getting started – and if India keeps doubling down on renewables and clean tech, the next chapters promise to be truly extraordinary. Decarbonisation is central to India’s impressive development strategy. Which is forging a new path for others to follow.  And fossil-fuel-free power now makes up half of India’s installed capacity – a milestone you've hit five years early.  Credit goes to the Modi government, working with India’s people and businesses.   India’s EV sales are growing – led by national champions like Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and JSW MG Motor India. And solar installed capacity has surged more than 50 times since 2014. India is now a solar superpower – that has turbocharged your economy, pushed up living standards, and – along with other renewables – saved you US$18 billion in fossil fuel purchases last year alone – according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. India’s solar manufacturing capacity has increased 75-fold since 2014. New data from IRENA shows India is currently the most competitive solar market in the world on generation cost, producing cheaper power than any other major economy. India is a leader in a global trend.  As every nation declared unanimously at COP30, the global energy transition is now irreversible. Last year, over US$2 trillion was invested in clean energy. Globally, clean energy, infrastructure and services are the next industrial revolution.  Nationally, they are the fast track for India to cement itself as a global economic giant. And it makes total economic sense to move even faster to clean energy – in India and around the world.  Conflict has exacted a terrible human toll, and sent fossil fuel cost chaos reverberating through the global economy.  And tragically it’s not over yet. The brutal costs of fossil fuel imports have hit all nations hard, including India, which imports 90% of its crude oil. For all nations, oil and gas import vulnerability means supplies disrupted and prices rising when crises hit.   That means fuel and fertiliser supplies constricted. And higher bills for businesses everywhere, and billions of households across the globe.  Global heating compounds these pressures. And it’s inflicting large-scale suffering across every region of the world, including Asia,   where devastating heat is claiming lives and livelihoods.Monsoon rains are lacking, and El Niño is biting, threatening harvests with failure, and households with rising costs.  Clean energy and resilience are vital parts of the solution.  And – as in all countries – the faster and stronger your climate action, the more lives and livelihoods will be protected, as climate-driven disasters get rapidly worse, and  the greater the dividends for India’s people, businesses and national finances.  Accelerating the shift to clean energy – and reducing dependence on coal – means cleaner air in towns and cities, boosting the health of millions of people. That can deliver major budget savings, and higher productivity, supporting even stronger economic growth.  As Minister Pralhad Joshi has said, renewables mean lower bills, and greater energy security – which can enhance food security and health. Clean technologies protect households and businesses from fossil fuel cost chaos, and boost economic stability, and national sovereignty. Every step towards electrification means greater autonomy – helping to free India from volatile international energy markets, spiralling costs, and the whims of foreign powers waging unpredictable wars.  Every solar panel installed moves India closer to energy independence and even greater economic strength. Colleagues, friends, The world has reached an historic point on climate. Because humanity continues to burn vast amounts of coal oil and gas, we are hurtling towards negative tipping points for our climate, and the ecosystems we depend on.   But we are also hurtling towards positive economic tipping points, in the shift from polluting fossil fuels to clean energy.  This is reshaping the global economy. And in the global clean energy race, India has powerful competitive advantages – particularly your tech-savvy workforce.  You can seize the opportunity, by  entrenching India as a clean tech manufacturing hub for the world.By positioning yourself as a leader in areas of comparative advantage – from electro-tech to green steel. And by supercharging clean energy investment – including in grids and storage – and electrifying India's economy – generating jobs and even stronger growth.  UN-convened climate cooperation can help India bank these benefits.  Over the years, climate multilateralism has unleashed the global energy revolution, which last year saw renewables overtake coal as the world’s top electricity source.  Today, the COP process is boosting its focus on implementation, to turn commitments into projects on the ground, and more real-world benefits for billions more people,  We have recently operationalised the UN carbon market – which can provide significant new funds for developing economies.  And we are elevating the Global Climate Action Agenda within our process.  This vital part of the Paris Agreement machinery brings together governments, business, investors, and civil society to turn climate targets into real-world results.  The Turkish COP31 Presidency has announced Action Agenda targets for this year.  That includes raising the share of final energy demand met by electricity to 35% by 2035.  This focus on electrification at COP31 is a clear opportunity for India: To build on the immense advances you have made – particularly on electricity access and clean cooking.  And to boost progress towards electrifying transport – including initiatives like Delhi’s new EV policy.  International climate finance is vital for developing countries.  All commitments must be honoured, and honoured in full.  Developed countries must triple adaptation finance and deliver $300 billion a year by 2035, as part of a clear pathway to $1.3 trillion a year.  And together, through international cooperation, we must continue to accelerate the global shift to clean, resilient economies.  India has long been a strong partner in climate multilateralism. And it’s entirely in your interests to continue engaging.  Almost eighty years since India won its independence, this nation has the chance to achieve full energy independence, and lock in a next generation of economic might.  I thank you.  [END]