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UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk Global Update at the 62nd Human Rights Council
“An unprecedented, shameless onslaught against international law is causing appalling human suffering. We must call it out, every time and everywhere, and work to contain and end it,” Türk said.
“Human rights need to be front and centre of today’s pressing issues – from the climate crisis to guidelines around Artificial Intelligence, from the Ebola outbreak to the men’s World Cup. I encourage G7 leaders meeting across the lake to put human rights at the core of their discussions, as a force for stability and progress”.
On the situation in the Middle East, the UN Human Rights Chief emphasized that it was clear that all sides needed to exercise maximum restraint.
“I welcome the announcement that the United States and Iran have agreed on a peace deal that provides for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a framework for further negotiations. The conflict has had a devastating impact on human rights across the region and around the world. The last months have shown that the deep differences in the region cannot be resolved by military means”.
The High Commissioner also called on those with influence to end the unbearable suffering of Palestinians, and to hold those responsible to account.
“In Gaza, Israeli forces have killed almost 1,000 Palestinians since the ceasefire was announced last October, the vast majority civilians. The Israeli authorities are pushing Palestinians into an ever-shrinking portion of the territory and imposing restrictions on lifesaving aid,” Türk said
“Some senior Israeli officials have spoken publicly of the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza, and of ending any possibility of a viable Palestinian state. All of this is totally illegal.”
Turning to Lebanon, the High Commissioner said: “The renewed escalation between Hezbollah and Israel since 2 March has dragged the Lebanese people once again into a war that is not of their making and I hope yesterday’s announcement will also bring them much needed relief.”
“I call for an immediate end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territory, and investigations into violations by all parties of international humanitarian and human rights law,” he added.
The High Commissioner noted a global shift in how war is waged. . In Sudan, long-range drones have destroyed aid convoys and vital energy infrastructure. In Ukraine, relentless drone attacks have caused mass casualties and terrorized civilians
“In the DRC, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and Myanmar, drone warfare is creating a new circle of hell. The UN has warned for many years against the development of lethal autonomous weapons. This reality is now upon us,” he said.
“States urgently need to consider the moral and legal questions this raises; agree on a common approach that protects civilian lives; and recommit to diplomacy and mediation. They must update legal frameworks to require human control and ensure accountability. Autonomous weapons cannot become a license for atrocity crimes. The prospect of billion-dollar, AI-enabled weapons, brought down by billion-dollar, AI-enabled defensive shields, exposes the horror, emptiness, and futility of war.”
Security experts warn that unrestrained military operations that flatten entire areas are fueling grievances and contributing to a new generation of extremists. They can never lead to lasting security. The High Commissioner stressed the need to replace war economies with human rights economies.
“In Haiti, gang violence has resulted in at least 2,300 deaths, 1,100 injuries, and 99 kidnappings since the start of the year. I urge the authorities to move quickly on the judicial units to tackle impunity. The Gang Suppression Force is urgently needed and it needs to operate in line with international human rights law,” said Türk.
With instability, inequalities, and weak governance a fertile ground for extremism and conflict, they are also fueling transnational crime, including the trade in illicit drugs, worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Criminal groups are exploiting global crises, conflict, and migration to expand their activities while violence associated with drug trafficking has risen sharply in many countries along trafficking routes.
“Meanwhile, the so-called war on drugs has become a vicious circle. Militarized responses, particularly in the Americas, feed further violence. The United States of America has reportedly killed more than 200 people, in airstrikes against civilian ships in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Calling these attacks part of a war on narco-terrorism does not justify them.”
The UN Human Rights Chief also spoke of clampdowns on human rights defenders, activists and journalists, with his Office recording more than 800 journalists and media workers behind bars, including citizen journalists and human rights bloggers. Media censorship is growing, while freedom of expression declining in 44 countries, according to several surveys.
“Our preliminary data indicates that some 950 human rights defenders, journalists, and trade unionists were killed or forcibly disappeared worldwide in 2025 – more than double the number a decade ago,” he said.
Around the world, transnational repression is increasingly used as a tool of persecution across borders, to pursue government critics and human rights defenders. A number of governments are even misusing Interpol processes for this purpose.
“Six years after the death of George Floyd, the knee is still on the necks of many Black people around the world. White nationalist groups complain about supposed double standards and two-tier policing. But the facts show that across regions, police are several times more likely to use force against people of African descent,” the High Commissioner said.
He also urged all Governments to address refugee and migration issues humanely and in full compliance with the tried and tested rules of human rights and refugee law.
“The dehumanization of migrants and refugees, including in the UK, US, and many EU countries, is appalling, often leading also to the denial of their rights.”
“Mega sports events are supposed to bring people together in unity and peace. It is troubling to see how immigration enforcement is impacting the men’s World Cup. My plea to the US authorities is that they provide safety and dignity to all players, officials, and supporters,” he added.
Noting that human rights work is always unfinished business, the High Commissioner said that ,“The international human right system has proven its value. The work of my own staff sheds light in the darkest corners. It has been cited in high-profile legal cases, including by the International Court of Justice, and has influenced hundreds of legal reforms.”
Investigations mandated by the Human Rights Council have helped bring perpetrators of international crimes to justice – a significant achievement as the Council marks its 20th anniversary.
For more information and media requests, please contact:
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STORY: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk Global Update at the 62nd
Human rights Council
TRT: 06:36
SOURCE: OHCHR / UNOG
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 15 June 2026 – Geneva, Switzerland
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot : Palais de Nations
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “An unprecedented, shameless onslaught against international law is causing appalling human suffering. We must call it out, every time and everywhere, and work to contain and end it.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Human rights need to be front and centre of today’s pressing issues – from the climate crisis to guidelines around Artificial Intelligence, from the Ebola outbreak to the men’s World Cup. I encourage G7 leaders meeting across the lake to put human rights at the core of their discussions, as a force for stability and progress.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “I welcome the announcement that the United States and Iran have agreed on a peace deal that provides for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a framework for further negotiations. The conflict has had a devastating impact on human rights across the region and around the world. The last months have shown that the deep differences in the region cannot be resolved by military means.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “In Gaza, Israeli forces have killed almost 1,000 Palestinians since the ceasefire was announced last October, the vast majority civilians. The Israeli authorities are pushing Palestinians into an ever-shrinking portion of the territory and imposing restrictions on lifesaving aid.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Some senior Israeli officials have spoken publicly of the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza, and of ending any possibility of a viable Palestinian state. All of this is totally illegal.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “The renewed escalation between Hezbollah and Israel since 2 March has dragged the Lebanese people once again into a war that is not of their making and I hope yesterday’s announcement will also bring them much needed relief.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “I call for an immediate end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territory, and investigations into violations by all parties of international humanitarian and human rights law.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “In the DRC, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and Myanmar, drone warfare is creating a new circle of hell. The UN has warned for many years against the development of lethal autonomous weapons. This reality is now upon us.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “States urgently need to consider the moral and legal questions this raises; agree on a common approach that protects civilian lives; and recommit to diplomacy and mediation. They must update legal frameworks to require human control and ensure accountability. Autonomous weapons cannot become a license for atrocity crimes. The prospect of billion-dollar, AI-enabled weapons, brought down by billion-dollar, AI-enabled defensive shields, exposes the horror, emptiness, and futility of war.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “In Haiti, gang violence has resulted in at least 2,300 deaths, 1,100 injuries, and 99 kidnappings since the start of the year. I urge the authorities to move quickly on the judicial units to tackle impunity. The Gang Suppression Force is urgently needed and it needs to operate in line with international human rights law.”
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Meanwhile, the so-called war on drugs has become a vicious circle. Militarized responses, particularly in the Americas, feed further violence. The United States of America has reportedly killed more than 200 people, in airstrikes against civilian ships in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Calling these attacks part of a war on narco-terrorism does not justify them.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Our preliminary data indicates that some 950 human rights defenders, journalists, and trade unionists were killed or forcibly disappeared worldwide in 2025 – more than double the number a decade ago.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Six years after the death of George Floyd, the knee is still on the necks of many Black people around the world. White nationalist groups complain about supposed double standards and two-tier policing. But the facts show that across regions, police are several times more likely to use force against people of African descent.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “The dehumanization of migrants and refugees, including in the UK, US, and many EU countries, is appalling, often leading also to the denial of their rights.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Mega sports events are supposed to bring people together in unity and peace. It is troubling to see how immigration enforcement is impacting the men’s World Cup. My plea to the US authorities is that they provide safety and dignity to all players, officials, and supporters.”
- Interior shots: Assembly Hall A
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “The international human right system has proven its value. The work of my own staff sheds light in the darkest corners. It has been cited in high-profile legal cases, including by the International Court of Justice, and has influenced hundreds of legal reforms.”
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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
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“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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