Geneva: Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, stated on Monday that human rights are being violated across the globe, citing the severe suffering of civilians in Sudan, Gaza Strip, and Ukraine.
According to Qatar News Agency, Guterres addressed the opening of a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, warning that human rights are under a full-frontal assault worldwide. He emphasized that the rule of law is increasingly being replaced by the rule of force. The UN chief highlighted that this assault is not happening covertly, nor is it abrupt. It is occurring openly and is often driven by those wielding significant power.
Guterres pointed out what he described as blatant violations of human rights, human dignity, and international law in the occupied Palestinian territory. He noted that the current situation there is clearly aimed at undermining the two-state solution, which the international community must not allow.
He further stated that human rights are being deliberately and strategically rolled back globally, and, in some cases, the perpetrators even boast about these actions. Guterres warned that the world is experiencing a scenario where collective punishment is justified, individuals are used as bargaining chips, and international law is seen as an inconvenience. He cautioned that when human rights deteriorate, other societal structures soon follow.
The UN chief strongly defended the organization's human rights system, which he said is in survival mode due to funding cuts, attacks on certain experts, and the withdrawal of the United States from a key global accountability mechanism for human rights violations. He noted that humanitarian needs are escalating at a time when funding is decreasing.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN agencies are facing a budget crisis following the United States' decision to reduce funding. The US had previously been the largest contributor to the organization, alongside cuts from other governments.