OHCHR Press Conference 24 May 2023

Good morning, everyone.

It's really good to see many of you.

In person and welcome to those of you online as well.

I won't take up much of your time.

You know the UN **** Commissioner for Human Rights, Volcker.

Turk.

He last met with you.

On the 9th of December, before Human Rights Day.

He'll be delivering an opening statement.

Which we will send to.

You by e-mail after the press conference.

And then of course, we'll open the floor to.

Questions.

Hi, Commissioner, please.

Yes, good morning.

Very pleased to see you all again and to have another chance of an engagement with the Geneva Press Corps, which is great.

And as I mentioned when I started, I, I will seek to engage with you on a regular basis.

It's also a good timing.

May is, as you know, the month where we focus very much on civic space to protect the and the of course we had word press Freedom Day as well.

And the protection of media workers and journalists is, is of course of great concern to my office.

As you know, in December last year, I launched here actually in from this podium, our year long commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

And we have since issued initiatives calling on States and others to make pledges and to fulfil the promises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This Human rights, as we call it Human Rights 75 programme will culminate in a **** level event on 11 and 12 December.

It's going to be convened by my office Co hosted by Switzerland and we are going to link up virtually with Bangkok, Nairobi and Panama City.

This year we also celebrate 30 years since the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna created the office of the UN **** Commission of Human Rights.

And that's for us an important milestone as well.

It's 30 years ago that we were created, and if you go back to that time in 293 at this conference, and there was also quite a difficult process with number of geopolitical tensions at the time as well.

The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action was adopted by consensus by all member states of the United Nations and it was a strong and a clear endorsement of all the rights that are contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

So I think it's good to remember that 75 years ago we had this Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 30 years ago with all member states of the UN present on the on the Vienna Declaration Programme of Action, which of course reaffirmed and revalidated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights over the past 30 years.

And it's always good.

Universities are always good to reflect back.

The work of my office has contributed to greater recognition of the centrality of human rights in making and sustaining peace, when it comes to preventing and halting violations, to foster accountability, but also to work on human rights and sustainable development.

In the humanitarian responses.

And of late, you probably saw in economic policy, but also when it comes to looking at the international financial institutions, we have been at the forefront of addressing issues of global importance as they emerge, including human rights, impact of climate change, artificial intelligence and the digital world.

My office is now present in more places than ever.

We have gone from just two field offices when we started to 94 presences around the world today.

And I would like to see this expanded further.

There should in fact be a human rights office everywhere in all states because we there's not one state that isn't immune from actually addressing human rights issues.

Everyone can do better and I have been advocating precisely for this both in my meetings with Member States and in in my missions.

I've also been speaking about how underfunded and under resourced my office remains.

In fact, I hope we could double our budget and I call on donors, states, corporate and private to help us make this happen.

A strong UN human rights office and a healthy, well resourced human rights ecosystem are of global interest, especially at a time when we see the rising conflict around the world, the issues around the push back on a number of fronts on the end, but also from a prevention perspective.

Our work and the human rights mechanisms that we support have helped advance the human rights 'cause they have helped identify obstacles to development, they have helped identify drivers of conflict and violence, but they also offer solutions and pathways for to remedy and for accountability.

We work with state institutions, national human rights bodies and civil society on the ground to help reform laws, to train officials.

We also help civil society organisations, human rights defenders and victims and journalists to do their work wherever we can.

And we are often serving as a bridge between civil society, human rights defenders and the institutions of the state.

We call out violations and set off alarm bells when attacks on, neglect of or disdain for human rights could set off crisis.

Our work on accountability and transitional justice has helped ensure that perpetrators of serious human rights violations end up in prison.

And our work on protection of civic space and human rights defenders has secured the release of people who are detained in violation of the human rights.

We provide a reality check, We help set the facts straight, We ground our analysis on human rights laws and standards.

We dig.

We dig into the root causes of human suffering, and we offer systemic, sustainable solutions.

Nowhere is the devastating impact of human rights violations more stark than in the mines, in the midst of armed conflict, and in the aftermath of natural disasters.

And I would like to refer in particular to Cyclone Mocha, which cut as wave of destruction throughout, in particular the western parts of of Myanmar.

And it is the latest deeply painful manifestation of a man made disaster.

And I emphasise man made disaster resulting from a climate event.

For decades, the authorities in Myanmar have deprived, as you know so well, the Rohingya of their rights and freedoms.

They have relentlessly attacked other ethnic groups, eroding their capacity to survive in the face of adversity.

Displaced communities have subsisted, for example, in temporary bamboo structures, some since 2012, with Myanmar's military repeatedly denying requests of humanitarian agencies to build more sustainable living conditions in areas that are less prone to flooding.

And I saw that myself in my several visits to Myanmar, especially to the West and to Rakhine State.

They've also consistently prevented the Rohingya from moving freely, including in the days before the cyclone.

The damage and loss of life was both foreseeable and avoidable and is clearly linked with a systematic denial of human rights.

It is imperative that the military lift the blockages on travel, allow for needs assessments to take place and ensure humanitarian access so that life saving aid and services can be provided.

Another situation, the desperate situation of the people of Sudan.

Let's not forget how they fought courageously against repression of their rights.

It's heartbreaking what is happening in Sudan in spite of successive ceasefires and they keep making these arrangements.

We see that they get observed in their preach almost within hours after these arrangements are signed.

We see how civilians continue to be exposed to serious risk of death and injury.

I mean, overnight we received reports of fighter jets across Khartoum and clashes in some areas of the city, as well as gunfire heard Khartoum north and in Omdurman.

My designated expert on Sudan, Radwan Noisar, has been meeting remotely with civil society still in the country and with also those who have fled, and their testimony is terrifying.

Many civilians are virtually besieged in areas where fighting has been relentless, with state institutions no longer functioning, including, of course, health facilities.

As you know there, we keep getting reports, especially from Sudanese doctors.

We know that civil society actors are risking their lives to fill some of the gaps that are there as a result of the absence of the state.

Many human rights defenders, particularly women, have reported receiving threats, but they are undeterred.

They continue their crucial work very deeply.

Troubling reports of sexual violence in Khartoum and Tarfour have emerged.

We are aware at least of 25 cases, but we also know how difficult it is to document these cases, so we are sure that the real number of cases is much higher.

General Al Burhan, General d'aguilo, you must issue clear instructions in no uncertain terms to all those under your command that there is 0 tolerance for sexual violence, that perpetrators of all violations must be held accountable, civilians must be spared, and you must stop this senseless violence now.

It is the near total impunity for cross violations that is at the root of this new brazen grab for power in Sudan.

Efforts to bring this conflict to an end must have human rights and accountability at their core for any peace to be sustained elsewhere.

I'm deeply troubled by the growing phenomenon of anti rights movements that have been active against migrants and refugees, against women, against people belonging to certain faiths, religious and social and racial groups, as well as against L GB TIQ people among others.

And we really need to push back on such anti rights movements that are fed and stoked by peddlers of lies and disinformation, including by so-called political and religious leaders and influencers.

We know that these are people who use populism and repression and even vilification of segments of society to the detriment of society as a whole as a shortcut to power and influence.

Following such hateful, discredited narratives, we are seeing a further worsening of laws criminalising lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, including in Uganda.

These laws violate a host of human rights, They lead to violence and they drive people against one another.

They leave people behind and undermine development.

Many of these laws are actually colonial relics that have imported 200 year old stigma and discrimination in the 21st century.

Hate speech and harmful narratives against migrants and refugees also continue to proliferate.

They are accompanied worryingly by laws and policies that are anti migrant and they risk undermining the basic foundations of international human rights law and international refugee law.

Developments that are unfolding in various countries, including the United Kingdom, the US, Italy, Greece and Lebanon are particularly concerning, as some of them appear designed to hinder people's ability to seek asylum and other forms of protection, to penalise those who seek to help them, or to return them in unlawful, undignified and unsustainable ways.

And let's recall Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is clear on everyone's right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution.

We need solidarity to ensure that all people in vulnerable situations are treated with humanity and respect for their rights.

In a number of situations, we see the consequences when different groups incite and stoke hatred and division between communities.

The recent violence in Manipur, North East India, revealed the underlying tensions between different ethnic and indigenous groups.

I urge the authorities to respond to the situation quickly, including by investigating and addressing root causes of the violence in line with their international human rights obligations.

Tomorrow it will be 3 years to the day that George Floyd was murdered by a police office by by police officers in the US.

The small measure of justice achieved in this case remains exceptional in the US and globally.

I remain deeply concerned by regular reports of deaths and injuries of people of African descent during or after interactions with law enforcement in a number of countries.

There needs to be firm and prompt action by authorities to ensure justice in each case.

It is clear that we won't solve the problem of police brutality against people of African descent until we deal with the broader manifestations of systemic racism that permeate every aspect of their lives.

The racial ***** faced once again by Real Madrid football player Vinicius Junior in Spain just this past Sunday is a stark reminder of the prevalence of racism in sport.

I call on those who organise sporting events to have strategies in place to prevent and counter racism.

Much more indeed needs to be done to eradicate racial discrimination, and it needs to start with listening to people of African descent, meaningfully involving them and taking genuine steps to act upon their concerns.

I also continue to be concerned about the shrinking of civic space, including in China, where there has been a spate of sentences against human rights defenders based on laws that are at variance with international human rights law.

Also deeply worrying are crackdowns on women's rights, and these crackdowns remain a tool for man in power to exercise dominance over and enfeeble entire societies.

Misogyny is a disease.

In combination with violence, it's cancerous.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban continue aggressively to seek to erase half of the population from everyday life.

Such a system of gender apartheid ruins the development potential of the country as a whole.

I will never understand how anyone can trample so cruelly upon the spirit of girls and women chipping away at their potential and driving 1's country deeper and deeper into abject poverty and despair.

It is crucial for the sake of the people of Afghanistan, the future of the country and the wider region, that these repressive policies against women and girls are immediately overturned.

In Iran, while the street protests have diminished, the harassment of women, including for what they do or don't wear, appears to have actually intensified.

Women and girls face increasingly stringent legal, social and economic measures in the authorities enforcement of discriminatory compulsory veiling laws.

I urge the government to heed the call of Iranians for reform and to begin by repealing regulations that criminalise non compliance with mandatory dress codes.

The onus is on the state to introduce laws and policies to protect the human rights of women and girls, including their right to participate in public life without fear of retribution or discrimination.

I'm also appalled by the continued use of the death penalty, insignificant numbers, and we have been reporting about this and I urge the Iranians, the Iranian government, to hold these executions immediately.

One more situation that is of deep concern to me is that in Pakistan, where hard earned gains and the rule of law are at serious risk, I'm alarmed by the recent escalation of violence and by reports of mass arrests carried out under problematic laws, arrests that may amount to arbitrary detention.

Particularly disturbing are reports that Pakistan intends to revive the use of military courts to try civilians, which would contravene international human rights law obligations.

I call on the authorities to ensure prompt, impartial, transparent investigations into deaths and injuries that occurred during the 9 May protests.

The only path to a safe, secure, prosperous Pakistan is one that is paved with respect for human rights, democratic processes and the rule of law, with a meaningful and free participation of all sectors of society beyond individual country situations.

Of broader concern for me, a recent rapid advances in the development of artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI.

Of course, the opportunities are immense, but so are the risks.

Human rights need to be baked into AI throughout it's entire life cycle, and both governments and companies need to do more to ensure that guardrails are in place.

My reference is carefully following and studying these issues.

Allow me to end with an appeal to all of you to help push back against the disinformation and manipulation that feeds anti rights movements and to help protect the space for people to defend their rights.

Human rights are universal.

The dignity and worth of every human being should not be, cannot be, a questionable, sensitive concept.

It is my fervent hope that this 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will provide the space and inspiration for all of us to go back to the basic to find the roots of human rights values in each of our cultures, histories and faiths, uniting us in pushing back against the instrumentalisation and politicisation of human rights between and within countries.

Thank you.

Hi, Commissioner.

We'll take questions three by three.

I see there are lots of hands up in the room.

Already, so we'll start with.

The room Katherine, Isabel and then.

Sorry.

Sorry, Bianca.

Yes.

Good morning, Sir.

My name is Catherine Fiorcon.

Bukonga, I work.

For France, Van Catherine, also African media, I'd like to ask you a question related to your very ambitious.

Programme of.

Putting human rights offices all over the world, does it mean that you have the ambition to have an.

Office of Human Rights in.

Each Member State country.

And what would be the budget and if you could?

Remind us what your budget is.

Today, because we know that.

It has been many years.

That.

You're.

Suffering of a lack.

Of of money.

Thank you.

I would I'm.

Sure.

It's a, it's a Sacco FA.

I'll take you to Latin America.

The Colombian.

Government has suspended A ceasefire with a deciding group of FARC after they.

Killed 4 indigenous teenagers who has who had been.

Forcibly recruited.

And two months ago, another ceasefire was suspended with another armed group.

And from your point of view, what is the consequence for the overall peace process in Colombia of the situation?

What are the risks?

To come to a more.

Violent environment and what is the impact on the indigenous communities because the this last story has begun there and because they are suffering the.

Most of this ongoing violence.

Because the peace.

The peace.

Agreement finally.

Has not not given all the results that we.

Expected.

Thank you.

Yes, please.

Go ahead, Yuria Prelev for RIA Novosti.

In the recent days, battalions of mercenaries with.

Contract with the.

Ukrainian army I've made an inclusion into the Russian region.

Of Belgorod, dozens of civilians were injured, thousands.

Were evacuated, infrastructure was shedding.

A lot of villages haven't electricity since today, and a lot of.

House houses were shedding too.

What is the reaction of your office about this matter?

Because two days?

Ago the one of the representative of the UN sides, they know nothing about this and a lot of photo and videos were published after that.

So what is the reaction of your office think good.

Hi, Commissioner.

Yes, I will.

I don't know which one.

I'm sure.

Yeah, yeah, let's see.

Look on.

I mean, first of all, last year we had an an total budget of about 390 million.

About a third comes from the regular budget of the United Nations.

The rest is extra budgetary funding, meaning voluntary funding that we we get from from countries.

I it would be good to have a presence.

Sometimes it can also be done through regional offices in each and every country.

Of course, we are not going to have A1 size fits all approach.

I mean it depends on the situation.

I mean in Sudan just to give you one example, we have a presence.

We well we used to have a presence in in five locations.

Of course our national staff are still there.

The international staff because of the situation had to be evacuated.

I mean we will still have some international staff presence in Port Sudan.

But given the situation, it was impossible to continue the presence of international staff at this point in time.

But what we hope to achieve, and I think we've done some calculations, ideally you would want to see a doubling, which would be about 800 million per year for the organisation.

And let's not forget we are the third pillar of the United Nations apart from peace and security and sustainable development.

We get about slightly over 4% of the regular budgets from the UN with a lot of requests, especially from the Council on and wide range of issues including of course to support the mechanisms of the of of of human rights, the treaty bodies, the Universal Periodic review, the I mean the special procedure mandate holders, I mean the whole ecosystem.

But I believe also very much in presence on the ground to be precisely that bridge that I mentioned between civil society, human rights defenders, victims and institutions of the state.

And I see great value in us being able to do that type of work on the, on, on Colombia, as you know, I was, I was there a couple of months ago.

I got a very important briefing from again, civil society, from human rights activists, from the national rights institution, from the, from the state.

I mean, I, I met with President Petro and with the Vice President and with different members of the government.

The Total Peace initiative is one that we absolutely and wholeheartedly support.

We knew, I think everyone who knows Colombia knows how difficult this process is.

This will also, and I think including the President, that it is a rocky attempt to bring together the country and to heal the country.

I'm very encouraged by the government's determination to see it through and they are very much aware, as you know, some of the members of government are former human rights defenders that my office accompanied for for years in their own struggle.

They are very much aware about the plight of human rights defenders, about the plight of indigenous populations, and they will do everything in their power to address it.

I think we should see these these as temporary setbacks, but peace has to have a chance in Colombia for the country to be able to blossom and flourish.

On your question, let me just say very clearly that and we see the global consequences of of the war of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, and it is in violation of the Charter.

It's in violation of international law.

We have made it clear to everyone that once hostilities start, civilians need to be protected.

International humanitarian law and international human rights law has to be respected.

We have through our office, presence in Ukraine because we are not present in the Russian Federation.

We have documented over, well actually since 2014, ever since we were present, the violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

And it is of utmost importance, first of all, for that war to stop immediately and for for people to be able to regain their lives in Ukraine.

It's in a in a very much beleaguered situation where civilians suffer on a daily basis.

Thank you.

Commissioner, we'll take three more from the room, Jamie, Nick and Danina.

Oh, that's Nick.

Good morning, Sinjiang and.

The treatment of Uyghurs.

Has been pretty much eclipsed by other.

International emergencies in recent months.

But when you took office, you hailed your predecessors report as an important document.

And one that you.

Are going to engage in could you?

Give us some detail of, of of.

How you have engaged and from where we sit there's.

Really.

Very.

There's nothing to show for.

It is that.

Would you say that's an accurate reflection of the situation?

Or is there some progress that we've missed?

Thank you.

Jamie, did you want to go next?

Or Nina, please.

Thank you.

I wanted to ask you.

About the issue of.

Data storage there were.

Human rights groups, I think yesterday who were calling on Microsoft to put on hold plans.

To install a data storage centre in Saudi Arabia out of fear for.

What that might have for implications when it comes to.

To rights.

And.

The use of of the data being stored there we've.

You know, similar concerns have been raised in other.

Places and also in connection.

With the I guess the TikTok case.

So could you just say something?

About how how you view that issue?

Thank you.

Hi.

Hi, Commissioner Jamie.

Keaton, Associated Press There's so many subjects that you covered that it's hard to pick one to ask you a question.

About that's why I'm struggling.

The if I could just ask you, you mentioned.

The case of Venetius in.

Spain, the soccer player How concerned are you that the protocols that exist within FIFA and UEFA about cracking down on racism are not working enough and what more should be done?

For example, there are certain rules.

About.

Suspending games after a certain number.

I mean, we had a case in specifically of a of a black person who was an effigy that was strung up in in in Spain.

Months ago.

These kinds of things are happening repeatedly in that country.

So would you say that and if I could just throw in in response?

To Yuri's.

Question he mentioned, you mentioned that you don't have a presence in Russia to be able to.

Document the and.

And try to verify attacks.

Against civilians in in Russia, such as in bulk bulgaratis as as mentioned.

Would you encourage the Russian government to let you establish an office there?

Yes.

So on the on the first question, I mean, I have been in my global update before the Human Rights Council, which I did, can't remember exactly when.

I think on the beginning of March been very clear about the continued serious concerns that we have both when it comes to the situation Xinjiang, but also in Tibet as well as in Hong Kong and civic space.

And I just mentioned some of the civic space issues.

It is obviously for us to focus very much on how we can effect the change.

And this will not happen overnight, but we are on it and we are going to continuously work on it as part of my functions are also and that's my responsibility.

If you look at the mandate of of my office to engage in a dialogue with governments about human rights issues.

And we are in the midst of of that process on data strategy.

And what you mentioned, you know, the biggest issue is, and we have seen a lot of progress in the European Union when it comes to the Digital Services Act and digital marketing.

I mean, especially on right to privacy issues, that's not a universally owned achievement.

So data protection and right to privacy are absolutely paramount.

And that will determine the type of decisions that would be taken of where things are stored, how they are stored, in what way they are brought together.

And and so the call is to use human rights law, to use data protection, right to privacy, but also to see it as providing a solution to the many dilemmas that one faces in the digital area, including the type of situations that you have mentioned.

And on the two questions on race, I mean, look, I feel that sports who I mean, I don't know how you call the sports organisers FIFA and many other.

I mean, it, it's across the board that we need to have a hard look at human rights and sports from a wide range of perspectives.

I mean, we saw what happened last year with with the World Cup.

We saw.

So in fact, I've asked my office to prepare a policy brief on and we will issue it and and provide it in the coming weeks because I thought it was.

And we see again, what happened in just recently is an example of it.

I think I would like to provide a guide to those who are federations of sport event, which is so important because of course, sport is also, I mean, it brings people together.

It has AI mean there are so many positive things that are ingrained in in sport events, But there's also we need to deal with the shadow side as well.

And, and that's why we want to put forward a number of clear ideas of human rights standards and sport events.

And that would including this is about participation, it's about inclusion, it's about fighting stigmatisation, it's about fighting racism.

L GB TI mean we have seen discrimination on on a wide range of issues, including gender discrimination and discrimination against L GB TIQ plus people as well who participate in sports events.

So we will come back to you with with a very detailed guide because we feel that there could be that more work needs to be done by everyone on that front on no, I mean, yes, we have asked, I have asked to be able to have access in, in the Russian Federation.

Unfortunately, until now we haven't been able to achieve it right.

Bodhi had his hand up.

And we'll.

Let's take two more from the room.

And then we'll move online.

So Bodhi first please.

Next team question that you have mentioned the African issues so as OHC.

Chr.

Placed a significant.

Focus in Africa in your work and.

In the situations where negotiation.

Cannot be reached with.

US authorities, what's obstacles and.

Challenges that.

OHCHR.

Focus to promote and.

Protect human rights in Africa.

Thank you.

Thank you Mohammad from Turkey is another one.

Thank you for taking my question.

German police raided 2 Turkish journalists house last week and terrified their families.

Their phones, tablets and digital items were taking while while they were detained.

How do you evaluate police raiding the House of journalists in a European Union member country?

And from the perspective of freedom of press?

Do you see this as a step to intimidate journalists?

Thank you.

Hi, Paula Di.

Colvias from Geneva Solutions.

You spoke.

About your concern regarding artificial intelligence and data privacy, I'm just wondering if if you can point to.

Any positive sides of how?

Countries may be dealing with these issues with new technologies, so on.

Yes.

On the human rights situation in different African countries, you will have noted in my global update that I gave beginning of March, I mentioned both negative and positive trends.

But I did mention a number of positive trends, especially on the African continent.

And I think we also need to be aware of it.

For instance, you had Zambia and Sierra Leone abolishing the death penalty.

We had seen an opening up of civic space in Tanzania at the time, in a number of other countries as well.

So it's important to be very clear that we shouldn't associate one continent with a human rights crisis and not look at other continents.

And I, as you know, have been at pains to point out that human rights is a matter for everyone, everywhere, and that no one is perfect and we need to be very clear about it.

When it comes to the African Union, we have I met.

I was in Addis Ababa at the beginning of this month.

I met with Chairperson Faki, the head of the African Union.

We had a very good discussion about advancing the human rights agenda and including on a on a strategic basis.

We agreed to have a regular **** level dialogues on strategic dialogues on human rights, which by the way I also want to have with the European Union and perhaps also with the Organisation of American States and maybe with ASEAN.

I mean we read, we want to work very closely with with regional organisations around the world.

The only way to engage is to be aware about the traditions that each continent, that each country, that each culture, each religion has and to bring this out so that we are countering what sometimes some leaders want us to believe that these are things that come from another world where they're not, they're actually that makes us all human.

And at the end of the day, it's about our rights and how we can advance them.

So on the on the African continent, since you asked the question, yes, we are, we have a very strong engagement.

Both at the regional level, but also at the country level.

And we need to continue it.

And which is why it is so heartbreaking to see what's happening in Sudan at the moment.

Because I can tell you when I speak to Sudanese and I was there, it was my first mission.

It was, I mean, I cannot even imagine what life is like in Khartoum at the moment.

And, and, and the solidarity has to be with, with the people.

There's a lot of focus on the ones who waged the war, but we really have to focus on what it means in the daily lives of people when they go through this absolute horrific experience.

Look, it is important and the protection of journalists and the safety of journalists is, is a, is an important aspect.

I, I don't know the details of, of, of this particular raid, but I mean, Germany has a very robust traditional system, has a very robust system of, of different layers of, of human rights protection.

So I'm confident that, that, that will make its course so.

But overall, my overarching concern around the world is the protection of journalists, including by the way, in, in Turkey itself.

And we need to make sure that that civic space when it comes to journalists is, is always respected and, and that we work on that look on, I mean, digital, I mean, and I had a lot of discussions both with the tech envoy Amandeep, with the tech envoy of the secretary General, but also with Irene Bogdan, the head of the ITU.

I was even invited to an event at the ITU recently where we met with the ones who actually do standardisation.

This is a very technical work, as you can imagine.

But sometimes in this technical work, it's exactly where the rubber hits the road when it comes to human rights.

And it's clear that the world today that the solutions to the big challenges that we face on climate change, on analysis, including for human rights purposes, we need the digital world.

We need also the artificial intelligence tools.

There's absolutely no doubt about it.

But at the same time, and you saw, I think there were those from chat, there were those who were developing some of the chat GTGPTI think they they actually came back and said themselves, we need regulation.

And when that happens, you get worried because there is a bit of a sense of urgency to actually ensure that these regulations occur rather quickly.

And what we have in the world today, even within countries and the bureaucracies of countries, you don't necessarily have the type of expertise that you have within companies, in the private sector.

So how do we match even the knowledge about some of these very complex areas and how do we make sure that, you know, it's infused with the human rights content and the regulatory content that you need And it goes into each and every aspect.

As I said, it also goes into standardisation, it goes into regulatory frameworks.

And frankly, we need to all become much more conversant and literate when it comes to digital, which of course, you know, embracing what is positive and using it for medicine for on the climate front.

I mean, there's no way that we can deal with climate change in the future if we haven't dealt with it through the digital side or through the innovation side on on the technology front more generally.

But we need to deal with the shadow side too.

Hi, Commissioner, we've got 5.

Questions online, We have time.

For about.

Three but.

We'll see what.

We can get to start with Gabriella, then Mussa, then John.

Gabriella, please.

Yes, hi Gabriella for.

Geneva Solutions Commissioner, I had three.

Questions.

I'm going to see if there's time for all of them.

You mentioned just over, just under a dozen.

Prices and there's.

A number that you can.

Mention as well Haiti.

Yemen, yeah, so, so there it seems that.

There's a lot happening.

For your office and so I.

Wanted to go back.

To the question of funding, you mentioned that, yeah, funding has been a.

Perpetual.

Issue and we can see that as well in the in the number of appeals for humanitarian aid that are being sent out.

So, yeah, just broadly, what is your office doing to make sure that humanitarian, that human rights are are better funded to be and, and, and.

Then with the number of prices at hand, do you think that it is possible for for you to tackle?

And and and respond appropriately to all of them.

Then my second question was about the hunger and.

Malnutrition crisis that is currently unfolding in parts of.

Of Northern.

Africa the UN is is making.

A lot.

A lot of.

Efforts with the grain deal.

But there are pockets of very.

Concerning levels of hunger and.

Malnutrition that this.

Deal is not reaching so.

What is being done there and if?

I could also have a.

Comment on on.

The recent decision by the United Arab Emirates to invite.

Syria to the Cup 28 there's.

Yeah.

There's outstanding human rights issues with the Syrian government and Amnesty International.

In particular, was very.

Critical of that.

Invitation.

So yeah, I would just like to have a.

Comment on that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Gabriella.

That was.