Human rights are under a full-scale attack around the world, United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres warned on Monday (23 February), describing a world where the rule of law is gradually being replaced by the rule of force.
This setback is neither hidden nor accidental, he explained: “it is happening in plain sight, often led by those who hold the greatest power.”
As fundamental freedoms are pushed back deliberately and strategically, millions suffer — first through violence, discrimination or exclusion, and then again in the face of the world’s silence about their suffering. When human rights collapse, the UN leader underlined that peace, development, social cohesion and trust collapse with them.
Political choices behind rising global impunity
Speaking at the opening of the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, as the council marks its 20th anniversary, the Secretary‑General highlighted how current crises — from Ukraine to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, the Sahel and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — are symptoms of a deeper erosion of human rights. He condemned widespread impunity and the global habit of excusing mass suffering, treating people as bargaining chips and disrespecting international law.
These crises are “not due to a lack of knowledge, tools or institutions. It is the result of political choices,” Mr. Guterres underlined.
The UN Chief further stressed that this broader human rights crisis mirrors and magnifies the fractures weakening the international order: soaring humanitarian needs amid collapsing funding, inequalities rising at breakneck speed, countries mired in debt and despair, accelerating climate chaos, and technology — especially artificial intelligence — used to oppress people or reinforce discrimination.
“Across every front, those who are already vulnerable are being pushed further to the margins. And human rights defenders are among the first to be silenced when they try to warn us.”
During his address, Mr. Guterres issued several warnings. In many countries, civic space is narrowing; journalists and activists are imprisoned; NGOs are shut down; women’s rights are being rolled back; minorities, migrants, refugees, LGBTIQ+ people and Indigenous communities are targeted; and children’s rights are ignored. Disinformation poisons public debate and fuels real‑world violence. In this coordinated offensive, human rights are the first casualty, and democracy itself becomes fragile when the freedoms of assembly, expression and association are denied, Mr. Guterres stressed.
Action on three urgent fronts
To confront this moment, the Secretary‑General called for urgent action on three fronts.
First, he called for defending without compromise the shared foundations of human rights: the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all instruments of international human rights law.
“Leaders cannot pick the parts they like and ignore the rest. And human rights themselves are also not divisible.”
All rights — civil, political, economic, social and cultural — are universal and interdependent.
Second, he urged a strengthening of global governance. For the UN Chief, reforming the Security Council and the international financial system is essential to protect rights, because current institutions no longer reflect the world’s reality. When the Security Council is paralysed or when geopolitical rivalry overrides the protection of civilians, impunity spreads and suffering multiplies.
Mr. Guterres also underlined how the UN80 Initiative seeks to reinforce the links between human rights, peace, development, and humanitarian action across the UN system. The proposal to create a system‑wide Human Rights Group aims to ensure that human rights are embedded in all the Organization’s policies and operations. This effort is grounded in the UN’s broader human rights agenda and requires political will from Member States and genuine participation by developing countries, long excluded from decision‑making.
Finally, the Secretary‑General called on nations to unleash the transformative power of human rights.
“Where rights advance, conflict loses ground. Where justice strengthens, violent extremism weakens. Where equality expands, possibility explodes. Where freedom prevails, societies flourish.”
Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, accelerating climate action, strengthening the rule of law and supporting international justice institutions such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court are essential steps.
“Human rights are not West or East, North or South. They are not a luxury – they are not negotiable.”
In his final appeal, he urged the Human Rights Council not to allow the erosion of rights to become the accepted price of politics: “Because a world that protects human rights protects itself.”