United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres has warned that human rights are under attack globally, describing a world where the rule of law is being steadily replaced by the rule of force. He emphasized that this erosion is deliberate and often driven by those holding the greatest power, leaving millions to suffer through violence, discrimination, and exclusion while the international community largely remains silent. According to Guterres, the collapse of human rights directly undermines peace, development, social cohesion, and trust.
Addressing the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Guterres highlighted ongoing crises in Ukraine, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, the Sahel, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as symptoms of a broader deterioration of human rights. He condemned widespread impunity and the tendency of political actors to treat populations as bargaining chips, stressing that these crises are not caused by a lack of knowledge or resources but by deliberate political choices.
Guterres noted that the global human rights crisis compounds other systemic challenges, including rising inequalities, debt, humanitarian crises, climate change, and the misuse of technology to oppress or discriminate. Vulnerable populations, human rights defenders, journalists, and activists face shrinking civic spaces, imprisonment, discrimination, and violence. Disinformation further erodes public debate, weakening democracy when freedoms of assembly, expression, and association are denied.
To address this critical situation, Guterres called for urgent action on three fronts. First, he stressed defending the universality of human rights, asserting that all civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights are interdependent and indivisible, and cannot be selectively applied. Second, he urged reform of global governance, including the UN Security Council and international financial systems, to ensure protection of civilians and prevent impunity. The UN80 Initiative and the proposed system‑wide Human Rights Group aim to integrate human rights into all UN policies and operations, requiring political will and inclusion of previously excluded countries.
Finally, Guterres emphasized the transformative power of human rights in fostering peace, justice, equality, and freedom. He linked the protection of rights to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, accelerating climate action, strengthening the rule of law, and supporting international justice institutions like the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. He concluded by urging the Human Rights Council not to accept the erosion of rights as a political cost, underscoring that protecting human rights is essential to protecting the world itself.
