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“Human rights provide a compass to steer us through the challenges of our time, from the climate crisis to technological developments. And yet, disturbing trends that undercut our rights are gaining ground across the world. Pro-war propaganda is everywhere, from military parades to ramped up rhetoric. Sadly, there are no Peace parades, or Ministries of Peace,” Türk said.
“The glorification of violence is coupled with a troubling erosion of international law.
This law is the foundation of peace, our global order, and our daily lives, from trade rules to the global internet, to our fundamental rights. But several Governments are disregarding, disrespecting, and disengaging from it, “the High Commissioner said.
“It is time for States to wake up, and to act. Around the world, the long-established rules of war are being shredded – with virtually no accountability,” he added.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has turned even more deadly, Türk noted. In July, more civilians were killed and injured than in any month since May 2022, as the Russian Federation intensified attacks along the frontline and on cities across the country.
“My staff on the ground are working to document these violations, together with those committed by Ukraine. Negotiations to stop the fighting need to focus on immediate steps to protect civilians and safeguard the rights of people in occupied territory, as well as end torture and ill treatment. Lasting peace can only come with full respect for international law.”
In Sudan, both the Rapid Support Forces – the RSF – and the Sudanese Armed Forces continue to show an utter disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law, the High Commissioner said.
“Thousands of civilians have been killed this year, and hostilities are intensifying in Darfur and Kordofan. Both sides target health facilities, markets, and water plants. The scale of the suffering of the Sudanese people across this vast country is unfathomable, demanding the full attention of the world.”
Turning to Gaza, the High Commissioner said: “Israel’s mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza; its infliction of indescribable suffering and wholesale destruction; its hindering of sufficient lifesaving aid and the ensuing starvation of civilians; its killing of journalists, UN staff and NGO workers, and its commission of war crime upon war crime, are shocking the conscience of the world. I am horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric, and the disgraceful dehumanization of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials.”
He continued: “Israel has a legal obligation to take the steps ordered by the International Court of Justice, to prevent acts of genocide, punish incitement to genocide, and ensure enough aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza. My Office’s monitoring and reporting are an important contribution to future accountability. Israel has a case to answer before the ICJ, and the evidence continues to mount. But we need action now, to end the carnage.
The international community is failing in its duty. We are failing the people of Gaza.
Where are the decisive steps to prevent genocide? Why are countries not doing more to avert atrocity crimes? Inaction is not an option. They must stop the flow to Israel of arms that risk violating the laws of war.”
Countries must apply maximum pressure for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained, and the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza – through all the means at their disposal, said Türk.
International human rights law protects all, including the most vulnerable. Yet attacks on minorities of all kinds are growing, as States roll back commitments to tackle and prevent discrimination.
“Policies and practices that violate the rights of migrants and refugees are becoming normalized in some countries. Pakistan and Iran have forcibly returned millions of Afghans to their country, and India has also deported groups of Rohingya Muslims by land and sea,” Türk said.
“I am also concerned about recent measures taken by Germany, Greece, Hungary, and other European countries to limit the right to seek asylum. The United States has reportedly reached agreement with several governments, including El Salvador, South Sudan, Eswatini and Rwanda, on deporting third country nationals to places other than their homeland, raising concerns about compliance with international law,” he said.
“Kuwait has revoked the citizenship of thousands of people in recent years, leaving many stateless. In Cambodia, changes to the constitution and nationality law allow the authorities to remove citizenship in cases of treason, creating further ways for them to target their critics. In a positive development, North Macedonia has resolved all known cases of statelessness since the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia – the first country in the region to do so,” the High Commissioner said.
Peace and security depend on full respect for human rights, everywhere. When the Security Council, the General Assembly, this Council or other intergovernmental institutions discuss the human rights situation in a particular country, it is because this concerns us all, in every country, Turk said.
The United Nations Charter gave birth to a new geopolitical era by enshrining the sovereign equality of States. National sovereignty is the foundation of multilateral institutions and international law.
“When States sign international agreements, they are exercising their national sovereignty – not limiting it. And with that sovereignty comes responsibility. Sovereignty does not mean ownership of people,” the High Commissioner said.
“As my update shows, there are coordinated efforts to undermine human rights and the rule of law around the world. When States cut ties with the system or try to weaken it - when they isolate themselves - everybody loses,”he said.
“Therefore, I hope to work with you on a new initiative, through an alliance of Member States, philanthropies, civil society and others, to strengthen the human rights ecosystem and join the dots between abuses and violations, and crisis prevention,” he said.
In his global update, the High Commissioner highlighted the situation in a number of other countries as detailed below.
ENDS
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STORY: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk Global update speech to the 60th Human Rights Council
TRT: 06:47
SOURCE: OHCHR / UNOG
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 8 September 2025 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot : Palais des Nations
- Wide shot : Assembly Hall
- Wide shot : Podium
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Human rights provide a compass to steer us through the challenges of our time, from the climate crisis to technological developments. And yet, disturbing trends that undercut our rights are gaining ground across the world. Pro-war propaganda is everywhere, from military parades to ramped up rhetoric. Sadly, there are no Peace parades, or Ministries of Peace.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “The glorification of violence is coupled with a troubling erosion of international law. This law is the foundation of peace, our global order, and our daily lives, from trade rules to the global internet, to our fundamental rights. But several Governments are disregarding, disrespecting, and disengaging from it.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “It is time for States to wake up, and to act. Around the world, the long-established rules of war are being shredded – with virtually no accountability.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “My staff on the ground are working to document these violations, together with those committed by Ukraine. Negotiations to stop the fighting need to focus on immediate steps to protect civilians and safeguard the rights of people in occupied territory, as well as end torture and ill treatment. Lasting peace can only come with full respect for international law.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Thousands of civilians have been killed this year, and hostilities are intensifying in Darfur and Kordofan. Both sides target health facilities, markets, and water plants. The scale of the suffering of the Sudanese people across this vast country is unfathomable, demanding the full attention of the world.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Israel’s mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza; its infliction of indescribable suffering and wholesale destruction; its hindering of sufficient lifesaving aid and the ensuing starvation of civilians; its killing of journalists, UN staff and NGO workers, and its commission of war crime upon war crime, are shocking the conscience of the world. I am horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric, and the disgraceful dehumanization of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Israel has a legal obligation to take the steps ordered by the International Court of Justice, to prevent acts of genocide, punish incitement to genocide, and ensure enough aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza. My Office’s monitoring and reporting are an important contribution to future accountability. Israel has a case to answer before the ICJ, and the evidence continues to mount. But we need action now, to end the carnage. The international community is failing in its duty. We are failing the people of Gaza. Where are the decisive steps to prevent genocide? Why are countries not doing more to avert atrocity crimes? Inaction is not an option. They must stop the flow to Israel of arms that risk violating the laws of war.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Policies and practices that violate the rights of migrants and refugees are becoming normalized in some countries. Pakistan and Iran have forcibly returned millions of Afghans to their country, and India has also deported groups of Rohingya Muslims by land and sea.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “I am also concerned about recent measures taken by Germany, Greece, Hungary, and other European countries to limit the right to seek asylum. The United States has reportedly reached agreement with several governments, including El Salvador, South Sudan, Eswatini and Rwanda, on deporting third country nationals to places other than their homeland, raising concerns about compliance with international law.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Kuwait has revoked the citizenship of thousands of people in recent years, leaving many stateless. In Cambodia, changes to the constitution and nationality law allow the authorities to remove citizenship in cases of treason, creating further ways for them to target their critics. In a positive development, North Macedonia has resolved all known cases of statelessness since the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia – the first country in the region to do so.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “When States sign international agreements, they are exercising their national sovereignty – not limiting it. And with that sovereignty comes responsibility. Sovereignty does not mean ownership of people.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “As my update shows, there are coordinated efforts to undermine human rights and the rule of law around the world. When States cut ties with the system or try to weaken it - when they isolate themselves - everybody loses.”
- Cut away: Assembly Hall
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Therefore, I hope to work with you on a new initiative, through an alliance of Member States, philanthropies, civil society and others, to strengthen the human rights ecosystem and join the dots between abuses and violations, and crisis prevention.”
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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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