By Matik Kueth
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, warned that “warmongers” and “autocrats” are threatening human rights across the globe.
Guterres, who spoke at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, cited violations related to economics, technology, climate change, migration, and gender.
“We have our work cut out for us. Human rights are the oxygen of humanity, but one by one, human rights are being suffocated by autocrats, crushing opposition because they fear what the truly empowered people would do,” Guterres said.
He stressed the dual difficulties posed by the climatic crisis and a morally flawed global banking system, which frequently stifles progress toward equality and sustainable development.
“Human rights are being suffocated by the climate crisis and by a morally bankrupt global financial system that too often obstructs the path to greater equality and sustainable development,” he stated.
Echoing Guterres’s sentiments, Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned of a “very dangerous” global landscape increasingly influenced by authoritarian regimes.
Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [Photo – Courtesy]
He added, “Leaders cite national security and the fight against terrorism to justify gross violations. Hypocrisy, double standards, and impunity have also played a part.”
Volker pointed out that the system of global protections established in the years following World War II had never been under such strain.
He further stressed the need to ensure that human rights and the rule of law “remain foundational to communities, societies and international relations”.