Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
STORY: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s global update to the UN Human Rights Council
TRT: 02:47
SOURCE: UNTV / OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 04 March 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1. Exterior shot: Alley of Flags Palais des Nations
2. Interior shots: Room 20
3. SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “A wave of conflict is battering people's lives, destroying economies, profoundly damaging human rights, and upending hopes for multilateral agreement on solutions.”
4. Cut Away: Room 20
5. SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “And yet the right to peace is the mother of all Human Rights. Without peace, all other rights are quashed. It is urgent that we devise ways to counter warmongering, fear and the illogic of escalating hatred and hostility – which bring short-term profit to a few while ruining the lives and rights of millions.”
6. Cut Away: Room 20
7. SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “But democracy is also broader than the singular electoral moment every three, four or five years. It lives – or dies – with the people's right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, constantly.”
8. Cut Away: Room 20
9. SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “This empowerment of people from all walks of life is the 'superpower' of genuinely participatory societies, because it ensures trust in the institutions of governance, with decision-making that is more relevant and more effective, because it is better informed and balances the interests and needs of different groups.”
10. Cut Away: Room 20
11. SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “In many parts of the world, many politicians are deliberately enflaming antagonism and xenophobia to garner support, particularly in electoral periods. In this headlong rush to abandon the common good for short-term personal benefit, they are tearing up the fundamental human rights principles that can unite us all.”
12. Cut Away: Room 20
13. SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “These delusional and deeply racist ideas have directly influenced many perpetrators of violence. Together with the so called ‘war on woke’ - which is really a war on inclusion – these ideas aim to exclude racial minorities – particularly women from racial minorities – and LGBTQ+ people from full equality. Multiculturalism is not a threat: it is the history of humanity, and deeply beneficial to us all.”
14. Cut Away: Room 20
“A wave of conflict is battering people's lives, destroying economies, profoundly damaging human rights, and upending hopes for multilateral solutions,” he told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva as he delivered his global update.
“And yet the right to peace is the mother of all Human Rights. Without peace, all other rights are quashed. It is urgent that we devise ways to counter warmongering, fear and the illogic of escalating hatred and hostility – which bring short-term profit to a few while ruining the lives and rights of millions,” Türk said.
With elections in over 60 countries, 2024 could be a landmark for democratic principles, the High Commissioner said.
“But democracy is also broader than the singular electoral moment every three, four or five years. It lives – or dies – with the people's right to participate in the conduct of public affairs, constantly,” he said. Fundamental freedoms – the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly and association – are also essential.
“This empowerment of people from all walks of life is the 'superpower' of genuinely participatory societies, because it ensures trust in the institutions of governance, with decision-making that is more relevant and more effective, because it is better informed and balances the interests and needs of different groups,” he said.
The High Commissioner also had this warning: “In many parts of the world, many politicians are deliberately enflaming antagonism and xenophobia to garner support, particularly in electoral periods. In this headlong rush to abandon the common good for short-term personal benefit, they are tearing up the fundamental human rights principles that can unite us all.”
The High Commissioner said he was concerned by election disinformation campaigns, fueled by generative artificial intelligence. There was an acute need for robust regulatory frameworks to ensure responsible use of generative AI, Türk said, adding that his Office is doing its utmost to advance such regulation.
Türk also voiced concern that, in many countries, including in Europe and North America, there is an apparently growing influence of so-called ‘great replacement’ conspiracy theories, based on false notions that Jews, Muslims, non-white people and migrants seek to ‘replace’ or suppress countries' cultures and peoples.
“These delusional and deeply racist ideas have directly influenced many perpetrators of violence. Together with the so called ‘war on woke’ - which is really a war on inclusion – these ideas aim to exclude racial minorities – particularly women from racial minorities – and LGBTQ+ people from full equality. Multiculturalism is not a threat: it is the history of humanity, and deeply beneficial to us all, ” he said.
The High Commissioner’s full speech, in which he refers to the situation in more than 40 countries, is available here.
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org
Jeremy Laurence - + 41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
1
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.
1
1
1
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.
2
1
2
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.
1
1
1
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.
1
1
1
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.
1
1
1
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.
1
1
1
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.
2
1
2
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.
1
1
1
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.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS
United Nations agencies staff demonstrates on Place des Nations in Geneva to denounce the killing of their colleagues in Gaza.
1
1
1
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.
1
1
1
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.