United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stark warning, stating that human rights across the globe are being “suffocated” by warmongers and authoritarians, Al Jazeera reports.
Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Guterres painted a grim picture of a world where human rights are “on the ropes and being pummelled hard.” He highlighted the devastating impact of conflicts in regions including the Middle East, Ukraine, and Congo, while also drawing attention to abuses linked to economics, technology, climate change, migration, and gender.
Guterres criticized a “morally bankrupt global financial system” that prioritizes profits over environmental protections. He also addressed the potential for artificial intelligence to be exploited to harm people, and condemned leaders who demonize migrants or restrict women’s rights.
Marking the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Guterres stressed the international community’s responsibility to “spare no effort to bring an end to this conflict, and achieve a just and lasting peace.”
He described the Gaza ceasefire as “precarious” and emphasized the need to “avoid at all costs a resumption of hostilities.” He also expressed grave concern over escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, citing violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers and alarming calls for annexation.
Furthermore, he condemned horrifying human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have been fighting to seize control of cities in the eastern part of the country.
