A somber tone dominated the UN Human Rights Council opening in Geneva as Secretary-General Antonio Guterres labeled worldwide attacks on rights as tragic and deliberate. He spotlighted horrors in Sudan, Gaza, Myanmar, and Ukraine, where international norms are shattered and civilians endure hellish conditions.
Guterres minced no words: “The reign of law yields to the tyranny of might.” Rights are being systematically insulted, he charged, through calculated moves laced with hubris.
Adding to the despair, the UN itself teeters on the brink. Its human rights office battles for existence due to funding droughts, expert harassment, and exits by powerhouses like the US. “Humanitarian demands surge as financing evaporates,” Guterres noted gravely.
Volker Turk, the UN rights chief, framed abuses as fallout from global scarcities and dominance quests since WWII. He backed Guterres’ pleas to halt these wars and stressed rights’ vital role amid rivalry.
Independent nations receive menacing warnings, heedless of spark-to-inferno dangers. Meager funds have stalled probes into Congo atrocities and Afghan violations slated for next year.
As faith in justice holds firm, leaders implore the international community to counter this slide, reinforcing human dignity against mounting threats.