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United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk press conference
“It is clear that we won’t solve the problem of police brutality against people of African descent until we deal with the broader manifestations of systemic racism that permeate every aspect of their lives. The racial abuse faced once again by Real Madrid football player Vinicius Junior in Spain just this past Sunday, is a stark reminder of the prevalence of racism in sport,” the High Commissioner said.
“I call on those who organise sporting events to have strategies in place to prevent and counter racism. Much more indeed needs to be done to eradicate racial discrimination. And it needs to start with listening to people of African descent meaningfully involving them, and taking genuine steps to act upon their concerns,” he said.
“I think I would like to provide a guide to those who are organisers of sporting event, which is so important because of course sport is also I mean, it brings people together. There are so many positive things that are engrained in sport events. And that's why we want to put forward a number of ideas, ideas of human rights standards and sport events,” Türk added.
“Very deeply troubling reports of sexual violence in Darfur have emerged. We are aware of at least 25 cases, but we also know how difficult it is to document these cases. So we are sure that the real number of cases is much higher. General al Burhan, General Dagalo, you must issue clear instructions in no uncertain terms to all those under your command that there is zero tolerance for sexual violence, that perpetrators of all violations must be held accountable. Civilians must be spared, and you must stop this senseless violence now,” the UN Human Rights Chief said.
“Nowhere is the devastating impact of human rights violations more stark than in the midst of conflict and in the aftermath of natural disasters. And I would like to refer in particular to cyclone Mocha, which has cast a swathe of destruction throughout particularly western parts of Myanmar. It is the latest, disturbing, painful manifestation of a manmade disaster resulting from the climate event for decades. As you know so well, the authorities have deprived the Rohingya of their rights and freedoms, they have relentlessly attacked other ethnic groups, eroding their capacity to survive in the face of adversity peacefully. Communities have subsisted, for example, in temporary bamboo structures, some since 2012, with Myanmar’s military repeatedly denying requests of humanitarian agencies to build more sustainable living conditions in areas that are less prone to flooding, that I saw myself. on my several visits to Myanmar, especially to the West and to Rakhine State,” the High Commissioner said.
“In Afghanistan, the Taliban continue aggressively to seek to erase half of the population from everyday life. Such a system of gender apartheid ruins the development potential of the country as a whole. I would never understand how anyone can trample so cruelly upon the spirit of girls and women. Chipping away at their potential and driving one's country deeper and deeper into abject poverty and despair. It is crucial for the sake of the people of Afghanistan, the future of the country and the wider region that these repressive policies against women and girls are immediately overturned,”Türk said.
For more information and media requests, please contact:
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or
Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org
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- Exterior: wide shot Palais des nation
- Interior: wide shot briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
- Cut away: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
- Cut away: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
- Cut away shot: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
- Cut away shot: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
- Cut away shot: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
- Cut away: briefing room
“It is clear that we won’t solve the problem of police brutality against people of African descent until we deal with the broader manifestations of systemic racism that permeate every aspect of their lives. The racial abuse faced once again by Real Madrid football player Vinicius Junior in Spain just this past Sunday, is a stark reminder of the prevalence of racism in sport.”
“I call on those who organise sporting events to have strategies in place to prevent and counter racism.Much more indeed needs to be done to eradicate racial discrimination. And it needs to start with listening to people of African descent, meaningfully involving them, and taking genuine steps to act upon their concerns.”
“I think I would like to provide a guide to those who are organisers of sporting events, which is so important because of course sport is also, I mean, it brings people together. There are so many positive things that are engrained in sport events. And that's why we want to put forward a number of ideas, ideas of human rights standards and sport events.”
“Very deeply troubling reports of sexual violence in Darfur have emerged. We are aware of at least 25 cases, but we also know how difficult it is to document these cases. So we are sure that the real number of cases is much higher. General al Burhan, General Dagalo, you must issue clear instructions - in no uncertain terms - to all those under your command that there is zero tolerance for sexual violence, that perpetrators of all violations must be held accountable. Civilians must be spared, and you must stop this senseless violence now.”
“Nowhere is the devastating impact of human rights violations more stark than in the midst of conflict and in the aftermath of natural disasters. And I would like to refer in particular to cyclone Mocha, which has cast a swathe of destruction throughout particularly western parts of Myanmar. It is the latest, disturbing, painful manifestation of a manmade disaster resulting from the climate event for decades. As you know so well, the authorities have deprived the Rohingya of their rights and freedoms, they have relentlessly attacked other ethnic groups, eroding their capacity to survive in the face of adversity peacefully. Communities have subsisted, for example, in temporary bamboo structures, some since 2012, with Myanmar’s military repeatedly denying requests of humanitarian agencies to build more sustainable living conditions in areas that are less prone to flooding that I saw myself on my several visits to Myanmar, especially to the West and to Rakhine State.”
“In Afghanistan, the Taliban continue aggressively to seek to erase half of the population from everyday life. Such a system of gender apartheid ruins the development potential of the country as a whole. I will never understand how anyone can trample so cruelly upon the spirit of girls and women, chipping away at their potential and driving one's country deeper and deeper into abject poverty and despair. It is crucial for the sake of the people of Afghanistan, the future of the country and the wider region that these repressive policies against women and girls are immediately overturned.”
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New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
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