UN Secretary-General António Guterres denounced on Monday at the opening of nearly six weeks of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva setbacks in human rights around the world.
“The Universal Declaration (of Human Rights) is under assault from all sides”, he said. “The Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most massive violations of human rights we are living today. It has unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure have caused many casualties and terrible suffering.”
Mr. Guterres pointed out dozens of cases of conflict-related sexual violence against men, women and girls, while serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law against prisoners of war have been documented in Ukraine by the UN human rights office.
Mr. Guterres called for a revitalized Universal Declaration to face today’s new challenges. “This is a moment to stand on the right side of history”, the UN Secretary-General said. “A moment to stand up for the human rights of everyone, everywhere. We must revitalize the Universal Declaration and ensure its full implementation to face the new challenges of today and tomorrow.”
Although people’s average lifespan in the last 100 years ago has increased from 32 years to more than 70, and seven out of every 10 people were illiterate, now it’s less than two in 10, the UN chief warned that numerous 21st century challenges confront us.
“Extreme poverty and hunger are rising for the first time in decades”, Mr. Guterres said. “Nearly half of the world’s population, 3.5 billion people, live in climate hotspots. These vast areas are fast becoming human rights disaster zones where floods, droughts and storms mean people are 15 times more likely to die of climate impacts. A record 100 million people have been forced to flee by violence, conflict and human rights violations.“
Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly, who also addressed the Council, said that whilst there were reasons to celebrate, these were clearly superseded by the reality of a world in a state of disarray, with unprecedented, cascading, and interlocking crises.
The world has far from recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 70 countries in debt distress, women and girls in systematically sidelined in many countries, and the world not on track to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The Security Council, like the General Assembly, was at a crossroads.
“Today, I want to advocate for a transformation of how we do things”, Mr. Kőrösi said. “I am calling for a fundamental shift in how we manage interlocking crises. Now, nowhere is that more apparent than in tackling climate change.”
Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who addressed the Council for the first time since taking office last December, said over the past 75 years, there had been profound gains and many achievements. However, the oppression of the past could return, in various disguises, including wars of aggression, as witnessed in Europe with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“If there was ever a moment to revitalize the hope of human rights for every person, it is now”, Mr. Türk said. “Yet, much of the progress made over decades is being reined back and even reversed in some parts – most conspicuously for women and girls, the civic space and the freedoms enjoyed at times of peace and through sustainable development, and the list is long.“
In July this year, Mr. Guterres and the UN High Commissioner will launch a new Agenda for Protection. The important initiative will seek to strengthen support from across the United Nations system to Member States to protect people and their rights, in times of peace and conflict.
“It is against this backdrop that we have embarked this year on the Human Rights 75 Initiative, first and foremost, to rebuild trust,” said Mr. Türk. “Trust between States that they will act in line with international law and the agreements which they themselves have drafted, and jointly work to advance the common good.”
More than 100 Heads of State and ministers are taking part in the 52nd UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva which started today. On the agenda: an extensive array of human rights issues- including discrimination, the freedom of religion, right to housing – as well as country situations like those in Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, Nicaragua and South Sudan.
The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council is made up of governments to protect human rights worldwide. It does not have legally binding powers but its debates often bring heightened scrutiny to issues and it can initiate investigations that provide evidence to national and international courts.
-ends-
STORY: Opening Statements HRC 52
TRT: 3:05”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 27 February 2023 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
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Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.
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Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC
Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital
UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.
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Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.
The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.
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Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Gaza: As world waits for US peace plan news, UN aid teams stress need for ceasefire
UN agencies reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to help alleviate Palestinian suffering, as a new US 20-point plan raised hopes of a halt to the fighting.
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Edited News | WHO
The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.
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Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A UN Human Rights report released today details the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained since Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine in 2022.
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Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Sudan war: Life-saving cholera vaccination campaign begins in Darfur
Amid the devastating war in Sudan, UN aid teams are overcoming major obstacles to curb a cholera outbreak claiming lives across the country, with young children particularly at risk.
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Edited News , B-roll | UN WOMEN
Women and girls still reeling from Afghanistan's recent deadly earthquake face even greater suffering rebuilding their lives and livelihoods without much more help from the international community, UN Women said on Friday.
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Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Rising civilian casualties, growing ethnic violence and the grim humanitarian situation in Sudan underscore how the crisis there is deepening, according to a UN Human rights report published today.
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Edited News | UNITED NATIONS
United Nations agencies staff demonstrates on Place des Nations in Geneva to denounce the killing of their colleagues in Gaza.
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Edited News | WMO
The world’s water resources face growing pressure from climate change while emergencies related to the vital resource are increasingly impacting lives and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
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Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council during a meeting on the Israeli strike on negotiators in Qatar on Tuesday. “Israel’s strike on negotiators in Doha on 9 September was a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow against the integrity of mediation and negotiating processes around the world,” he said.