GENEVA: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday that human rights are under serious threat around the world, , saying that some of the world’s most powerful countries are undermining these rights instead of protecting them.
Opening the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Guterres painted a grim picture of the current global landscape, asserting that the rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force. He characterised the erosion of rights as a blatant and open process, rather than a hidden one.
The Secretary-General cited specific conflicts as prime examples of this trend. He expressed deep concern over the war in Ukraine, noting that the conflict has now claimed the lives of over 15,000 civilians in four years and calling for an immediate end to the bloodshed.
He also condemned the severe rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. He argued that the current situation is systematically dismantling the possibility of a two-state solution, a prospect the international community must not allow to happen.
Guterres emphasised that the problem extends far beyond active war zones. He observed a global pattern where rights are deliberately and systematically undermined.
In this new reality, he noted, widespread human suffering is often dismissed, human lives are treated as political leverage, and international law is regarded as a minor obstacle rather than a binding commitment. The UN chief stressed that a decline in human rights triggers a cascade of other global failures.
He linked this crisis to other major challenges, pointing out that humanitarian needs are skyrocketing precisely when funding is drying up. He also highlighted the rapid growth of economic inequality, the crushing debt burdening many nations, and the accelerating effects of climate change.
Furthermore, he warned that technology, particularly artificial intelligence, is increasingly being weaponized to suppress rights and create new forms of discrimination. The cumulative effect, he said, is that the world’s most vulnerable populations are being pushed even further to the margins.
In his closing remarks, Guterres made an urgent call to action, insisting on the need to defend the foundational principles of international law and human dignity without compromise.
He stressed that the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are not optional agreements that leaders can selectively follow; they represent a binding commitment that must be upheld in full.
