United Nations

The United Nations is the largest intergovernmental organisation in the world, and has the promotion and protection of human rights among its core objectives.

Through its various political bodies, including the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and UN Human Rights Council (HRC), UN Member States make commitments on how they will protect freedom of expression at the national level, as well as agreeing collective action in response to the world’s most pressing human rights issues.

ARTICLE 19 shapes and ensures support for standard-setting initiatives on freedom of expression at the UN, informing our advocacy through the local and national human rights priorities of our regional offices and partners.   We leverage various UN human rights mechanisms to hold states to account for freedom of expression violations. This includes through the UNGA and HRC, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN special procedures, in particular the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, the treaty bodies, and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. In turn, our national advocacy work uses the obligations and commitments of States’ at the UN to drive local change.

UN: Artificial intelligence must not impact media freedom
19.06.2025 2 min read

UN: Artificial intelligence must not impact media freedom

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UN: Repression of protests across the Americas
19.06.2025 1 min read

UN: Repression of protests across the Americas

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Bangladesh: Defending free expression and electoral integrity in the digital age
18.06.2025 13 min read

Bangladesh: Defending free expression and electoral integrity in the digital age

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UN: Free expression vital for democratic elections
18.06.2025 2 min read

UN: Free expression vital for democratic elections

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UN: Safety of journalists among top priorities at the Human Rights Council
16.06.2025 8 min read

UN: Safety of journalists among top priorities at the Human Rights Council

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UN: WSIS+20 Virtual Stakeholder Consultation
11.06.2025 4 min read

UN: WSIS+20 Virtual Stakeholder Consultation

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UN: Practical recommendations building on the WSIS+20 Five-Point Plan
29.05.2025 5 min read

UN: Practical recommendations building on the WSIS+20 Five-Point Plan

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Jordan: Lift ban on news sites and protect the right to freedom of expression
23.05.2025 8 min read

Jordan: Lift ban on news sites and protect the right to freedom of expression

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China: Release journalist and human rights defender Zhang Zhan
14.05.2025 10 min read

China: Release journalist and human rights defender Zhang Zhan

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