World News in Brief: Funding cuts curb development, human rights in Belarus update, Ebola and mpox in Africa

Speaking in Geneva, she said the world was facing “declining respect for human rights and multilateralism”, with conflicts, debt, and shrinking development assistance threatening to reverse hard-won gains.

The 38-member economic cooperation organization, OECD, projects a nine to 17 per cent fall in aid next year, and up to 25 per cent for the least-developed countries bloc, while military spending has soared to record highs.

“The results speak for themselves: poverty reduction has stalled, and virtually all SDGs are off track,” Ms. Al Nashif said, citing the World Bank’s warning of a “lost decade for development.”

Way forward

Despite the bleak outlook, she said the right to development offered a practical path forward — by reshaping fiscal policies, strengthening social protection, and aligning global finance with human rights principles.

Nearly 40 years after the UN Declaration on the Right to Development, Ms. Al Nashif urged governments to “move from words to action”, noting new momentum through initiatives such as the Sevilla Commitment and renewed global solidarity voiced at the 80th UN General Assembly.

UN independent expert: Belarus is no ‘paradise’ for workers

“Belarus is not the worker’s paradise authorities say it is, despite their proclaimed commitment to economic and social rights,” said UN independent human rights expert on Belarus, Nils Muižnieks, addressing the UN General Assembly Monday.

In his capacity as a Human Rights Council-appointed expert, Mr. Muižnieks presented his latest report, which revealed pervasive politically-motivated discrimination and harassment in both the Belarusian public and private sectors.

Forced labour

He also found unjustified restrictions on access to jobs based on political grounds – and the use of forced labour for little or no pay as a form of punishment for persons unjustly incarcerated.

The report follows a two-year engagement under the International Labour Organization (ILO), which has put Belarus under enhanced scrutiny due to violations of trade unions’ rights.

Mr. Muižnieks – who is not a UN staffer and who receives no salary for his work – recalled that over 1,100 people continue to be detained arbitrarily in the country and that some of those released have been deported and had their passports confiscated, leaving them at risk of statelessness and afraid of returning back home.

IOM steps up Ebola and mpox preparedness across Africa

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is scaling up its health response across Africa, responding swiftly to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this past September and supporting mpox preparedness in several African countries.

The agency’s priority is to make fully operational all points of entry and screening to prevent disease in areas where there is human movement.

“These measures help prevent the spread of disease and keep both travellers and border communities safe,” said Frantz Celestin, IOM’s regional director for East, Horn and Southern Africa.

Border communities face heightened risk due to high mobility and limited access to health services, but thanks to operational screening points, over 169,000 screenings have been conducted.

Improved mpox response

The agency is also supporting national mpox responses in several countries. In Uganda and Ethiopia, health authorities are using IOM’s mobility data for public health planning and outbreak preparedness.

In Malawi and South Sudan, IOM is enhancing surveillance, contact tracing and access to vaccination at key border points.