GENEVA: Human rights are under assault worldwide, the United Nations chief warned on Monday, citing widespread abuses of international law and devastating civilian suffering in conflicts in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine. "The rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force," said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, speaking at the opening of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"Around the world, human rights are being pushed back deliberately, strategically, and sometimes proudly," Guterres said. The UN human rights chief has said his office is in "survival mode" due to funding cuts that have come alongside pressure on UN experts and US disengagement.
The US, the UN's top donor, has paid just $160 million of the more than $4 billion it owes to the global body, a UN spokesperson said last week. "Humanitarian needs are exploding while funding collapses," Guterres said. The UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, told the Council that the world faces the most intense competition for power and resources since World War Two, amid widespread rights violations. He joined Guterres in urging an end to abuses in conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, Myanmar and Ukraine. — Reuters
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