The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Conferences | HRC , OHCHR , UNITED NATIONS
Opening HRC 55: UN SG - António Guterres, PGA - Dennis Francis, HC - Volker Turk
Rules of war and human rights must be upheld, UN Secretary-General says, as global divisions and disinformation threaten the UN’s founding principles
In conflicts across the world, nations and their governments are ignoring “the rule of law and the rules of war” enshrined in the Geneva Conventions and the UN Charter, an alarming development highlighted by United Nations chief António Guterres at the opening of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
“From Ukraine to Sudan to Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gaza, parties to conflict are turning a blind eye to international law, the Geneva Conventions and even the United Nations Charter. The Security Council is often deadlocked and able to act on the most significant peace and security issues of all time,” he said.
Mr. Guterres added that “the Council's lack of unity on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and on Israel's military operations in Gaza following the horrific terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October has severely - but perhaps fatally -undermined its authority. The Council needs serious reform to its composition and working methods.”
In addressing these urgent crises and advocating for other significant human rights challenges globally, Mr. Guterres underscored the upcoming Summit of the Future, convening at UN Headquarters in September, as an occasion for Member States to reaffirm their dedication to fostering peace and security grounded in human rights.
Mr. Guterres also announced a new framework for integrating human rights in all aspects of the UN’s work, called the UN Agenda for Protection. “To support states in meeting their obligations” he said, “I am launching a system-wide United Nations Agenda for Protection, together with High Commissioner for Human Rights. Under this Agenda, the United Nations, across the full spectrum of our work, will act as one to prevent human rights violations, and to identify and respond to them when they take place. That is the Protection Pledge of all United Nations bodies to do their utmost to protect people.”
Echoing warnings that international humanitarian law and even the UN Charter were coming under increasing threat around the world, the President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, told the Human Rights Council that it was time for all global citizens to “do our part”.
“Across the globe, the inhuman brutality and suffering must stop. We must not simply stand-by as callous observers, less we be seen as complicit in the expanding web of dehumanization. No! We must do our part. The decisive role of this august Council is crucial in our collective efforts.”
Referring to the war in Gaza where “the suffering of innocent civilians has reached an unbearable tipping point – with over 90 per cent of the population displaced, teetering on the brink of starvation”, Mr. Francis insisted on the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. “In the name of humanity, we the United Nations, must vehemently use our commanding platforms to speak up and to speak out louder in demand for an immediate humanitarian cease fire in the Gaza Strip and for the opening of corridors to render urgently needed assistance and care to the 1.5 million displaced and unhoused Palestinians.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a stark warning about “attempts to undermine the legitimacy and work of the United Nations and other institutions. They include disinformation that targets UN humanitarian organizations, UN peacekeepers and my Office.” Mr. Türk added that “the UN has become a lightning rod for manipulative propaganda and a scapegoat for policy failures. This is profoundly destructive of the common good, and it callously betrays the many people whose lives rely on it.”
In an effort to transform societies and the global community, the UN Rights Chief also announced the launch of "Human Rights: A Path for Solutions", a vision statement which sets out eight key messages to guide renewed action for peace; economies that work for people and planet; effective governance; and guardrails for digital and scientific progress.
-ends-
STORY: HRC 55 Opening UN SG António Guterres, PGA Dennis Francis and HC Volker Türk
TRT: 3:55”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 26 February 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley
- Wide shot: Human Rights Room with delegates and ceiling
- SOUNDBITE (English) – António Guterres, UN Secretary-General: “From Ukraine to Sudan to Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gaza, parties to conflict are turning a blind eye to international law, the Geneva Conventions and even the United Nations Charter. The Security Council is often deadlocked and able to act on the most significant peace and security issues of all time.”
- Medium shot: SG Guterres at podium with ceiling of Human Rights Room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – António Guterres, UN Secretary-General: “The Council's lack of unity on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and on Israel's military operations in Gaza following the horrific terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October has severely - but perhaps fatally -undermined its authority. The Council needs serious reform to its composition and working methods.”
- Wide shot: SG at podium and on big screen in Human Rights Room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – António Guterres, UN Secretary-General: “To support states in meeting their obligations, I am launching a system-wide United Nations Agenda for Protection, together with High Commissioner for Human Rights. Under this Agenda, the United Nations, across the full spectrum of our work, will act as one to prevent human rights violations, and to identify and respond to them when they take place. That is the Protection Pledge of all United Nations bodies to do their utmost to protect people.”
- Wide shot: Speakers at the podium with PGA delivering his speech
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly: “In the name of humanity, we, the United Nations, must vehemently use our commanding platforms to speak up and to speak out louder in demand for an immediate humanitarian cease fire in the Gaza Strip and for the opening of corridors to render urgently needed assistance and care to the 1.5 million displaced and unhoused Palestinians.”
- Medium shot: Speakers at the podium with PGA delivering his speech
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly: “Across the globe, the inhuman brutality and suffering must stop. We must not simply stand-by as callous observers, less we be seen as complicit in the expanding web of dehumanization. No! We must do our part. The decisive role of this august Council is crucial in our collective efforts.”
- Wide shot, HC Volker Türk speaking
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “I am disturbed by attempts to undermine the legitimacy and work of the United Nations and other institutions. They include disinformation that targets UN humanitarian organizations, UN peacekeepers and my Office. The UN has become a lightning rod for manipulative propaganda and a scapegoat for policy failures. This is profoundly destructive of the common good, and it callously betrays the many people whose lives rely on it.”
- Wide shot, Human Rights Room with delegates and Volker Türk delivering his speech
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Today, I am pleased to launch "Human Rights: A Path for Solutions", which is the distillation of this hard work that has gone into this commemoration year, in the hope that it will inform the Summit of the Future. This “Path for Solutions” sets out eight key messages to guide renewed action for peace; economies that work for people and planet; effective governance; and guardrails for digital and scientific progress.”
- Wide shot, Human Rights Room with delegates
- Wide shot, Human Rights Room with speakers at the podium
- Medium shot, delegates listening
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WFP
Aid agencies warned on Friday of the fast-developing humanitarian emergency inside Taiz City in Yemen, which has been encircled by de facto Houthi forces fighting government troops along the country’s west coast.
2
17
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | OCHA , WMO
Two UN agencies teamed up on Wednesday to issue an appeal for immediate assistance to help communities already being impacted by the strongest El Niño on record.
3
16
2
2
Edited News , B-roll , Conferences , Images | UNITED NATIONS , UNOG
Sixth Consultative Meeting on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts for Sudan
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , UNHCR
Yemen war continues to force families from homes amid hunger and disease
More than 250,000 people have now fled renewed fighting in Yemen, the UN said on Tuesday, citing particular concern for those sheltering in the southwestern city of Taiz and the wider governorate, where access is “essentially blocked”.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
A little over one year since a ceasefire agreement was announced between Hamas fighters and Israel, more than 340 children have been reported killed and hundreds more injured, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IFRC
Six weeks after Nepal’s deadly flooding disaster, communities are still struggling to rebuild their lives, but they will need sustained help as global warming increases the risk of another Himalayan catastrophe, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In suspected Russia plague death, testing and monitoring underway – WHO
The death of a lab worker in Russia’s Siberia region has sparked concerns about plague being the cause, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, adding that it was following the situation closely.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on Ukraine.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences | HRC , OHCHR
Interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk on the oral update on Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on the human rights situation in Haiti.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated delays in bringing lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and more from Israel into Gaza risk having devastating consequences on Palestinians who urgently need them in the wartorn enclave, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. “A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives. That's the question that actually matters," said Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the OPT.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: Early access to care and oxygen decisive for Ebola patients’ survival – WHO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers fighting the country’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak are struggling to overcome critical challenges to patient care, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.