The United Nations warns of an “all-out attack” on human rights around the world

The Secretary-General spoke at the opening of the sixty-first session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, today, Monday, indicating that his speech will be his last speech at the opening of the Council, in his capacity as Secretary-General of the United Nations, as his term ends at the end of this year.

Guterres pointed out that human rights are being subjected to systematic pushback around the world, “sometimes deliberately, sometimes according to a drawn-up strategy, and sometimes it even comes to boasting about this decline.”

He warned of the dire consequences of this decline, noting that when human rights collapse, everything else collapses – from peace to development to social cohesion to trust and solidarity.

Precisely for this reason, António Guterres stressed the importance of the tools of the Human Rights Council, including special rapporteurs, investigative mechanisms and the universal periodic review. With the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Council, Guterres stressed that it has become urgent to transform geopolitical engagement into an actual path to promote and protect human rights globally.

The human rights crisis is not an isolated case

The Secretary-General said that we “We live in a world where collective suffering is justified, where human beings are used as bargaining chips, and where international law is treated as a mere obstacle. Conflicts are increasing, and impunity has become an epidemic. This is not due to a lack of knowledge, tools or institutions. It is the result of political choices.”

He explained that this crisis of respect for human rights is not an isolated case, but rather a mirror that reflects and amplifies every other global division.

He added: “Humanitarian needs are growing exponentially while funding collapses. Disparities are widening at an astonishing speed. Countries are sinking into debt and despair. Climate degradation is accelerating. Technology – especially artificial intelligence – is increasingly used in ways that suppress rights, deepen inequalities, and expose marginalized people to new forms of discrimination, both online and offline.”

On all fronts, according to the Secretary-General, the already vulnerable are pushed to further marginalization, noting that human rights defenders are the first to remain silent when they try to warn us.

He explained that human rights are the first victims in “this coordinated attack.” He added: “We see this in the tightening stranglehold on civic space. The imprisonment of journalists and activists. The closing of NGOs. The rollback of women’s rights. The ignoring of children’s rights. The exclusion of people with disabilities. The erosion of democracies. The crushing of the right to peaceful assembly.”

In this regard, Guterres renewed his condemnation of the violent suppression of the recent protests in Iran.

Human rights are indivisible

The Secretary-General of the United Nations stressed that human rights “are not a slogan issued in times of prosperity, but rather they are a duty at all times. Therefore, we must defend them, even if it is difficult, inappropriate or costly.” He explained that this requires urgent action on three axes:

⬅️First, the need to protect our common foundations without any compromise,

In this context, he emphasized that “United Nations CharterThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights law instruments are not indivisible options. Leaders cannot pick the ones they like and ignore the rest. Human rights themselves are indivisible.”

⬅️Secondly, the need to strengthen our institutions,

In this regard, the Secretary-General said that we cannot pretend that the dysfunction of the current global governance system is separate from the global deterioration of human rights. He stressed the need to reform the Security Council so that it “reflects the reality of our world today, not the world of 1945.”

⬅️Third, unleash the power of human rights,

In this regard, António Guterres said that human rights are not just what we defend, but rather what elevate the world to a better place, noting that “when rights are preserved, people live more freely. Economies grow more equitably. Societies’ confidence increases. Peace and stability prevail because dignity takes root.”

He stressed that “human rights are not an obstacle to progress, but rather are its basis.”

Ukraine, Palestine, Sudan

The Secretary-General touched on the situation in Ukraine, indicating that he will deliver a speech before the Security Council tomorrow, Tuesday, on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the comprehensive Russian invasion of Ukraine, in which more than 15,000 civilians were killed. Guterres confirmed that It is time to stop the bloodshed.

António Guterres also referred to his speech at the beginning of this month before the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People about the flagrant violations of human rights, dignity and international law in the occupied Palestinian territory, warning that… “The current path is clear and intentional: the two-state solution is being blatantly undermined.” He confirmed The international community cannot allow this to happen.

He also spoke about his participation in the African Union Summit, where the crises of Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sahel region and other crises were at the heart of the discussion.

A shield for everyone who needs it

Secretary-General António Guterres made an appeal in his last speech at the opening of the Human Rights Council, in his capacity as Secretary-General of the United Nations, where he said:

“Do not allow the erosion of human rights to become an acceptable price for political interests or geopolitical competition. Do not let power write new rules in which the weak have no rights and the powerful have no limits. Let this Human Rights Council be a voice and a shield for all who need it. Let this be the place that contributes to putting an end to the brutal and widespread assault on human rights. Because the world that protects human rights protects itself.”

An invitation to draw inspiration from history

UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said her speech – like the Secretary-General’s – is a call to action for all of us, because, she said, “history teaches us that great systems rarely collapse in an instant. Rather, they erode slowly, one rule after another, one commitment after another, with the silence of those who were supposed to defend them, until one day what seemed permanent disappears.”

Follow up: “We are not spectators with the luxury of standing on the sidelines as injustice unfolds. Silence is a choice. Inaction is a choice, and it has consequences. But the good news is that action is a choice too, and it is in our hands.”

The President of the General Assembly touched on the conclusion of the Olympic Games in Italy and the beginning of the Paralympic Games, where she said: “Athletes from all over the world, in all their diversity, have shown us once again what we can achieve when we unite, despite our differences, or especially because of our diversity, to compete strongly and fairly, on equal footing, according to the same rules, and always with mutual respect, in the belief that life is life, and that man is man.”

The Human Rights Council is extremely important

President of the Human Rights Council, Siddharto Raza Suryudepuru called for a minute of silence in memory of the victims of human rights violations around the world.

He said that the strong presence of more than 120 high-level figures at the opening of the activities of the sixty-first session of the Human Rights Council sends a strong message that this Council is of great importance, that human rights are of the utmost importance, and that multilateral cooperation is still necessary to confront common challenges.

Suryodiboro called for this session to be a renewed call for listening, cooperation and action, and to highlight the Council’s response to the requirements of the current moment.

Fierce competition like no other

In turn, Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk said that the world is witnessing “a fierce competition for power, influence and resources at a pace and intensity not seen in eighty years.” He said people feel lost, anxious and insecure.

The High Commissioner added that the global balance of power is changing, and that the consequences of this are not clear: “Some point to the end of the world order as we know it. But today I want to talk about another world order. A basic order for how people relate to each other, based on our self-worth, our shared hopes and values. I am referring to people’s quest for dignity, equality and justice.”

Volker Türk warned that the use of force to resolve conflicts between and within countries has become a normal matter. He added: “Inciting threats are being made against sovereign states, with little regard for the dire consequences they might entail. The laws of war are being brutally violated. Mass civilian suffering is unfolding before our eyes – from Sudan to Gaza to Ukraine to Myanmar.”