UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : HRC: Global Update by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Mister President. Excellence is distinguished delegates.

Rarely has humanity faced so many rapidly spiralling crises.

In this update,

I will focus first

on the scourge of war and the imperative of peace

and second, on the open space that is needed for societies to flourish.

Particularly

in

this mega election year,

A wave of conflict is battering people's lives, destroying economies,

profoundly, damaging human rights,

dividing the world

and upending hopes for multilateral solutions

around the world. 55 conflicts are flaring.

Widespread violations of international humanitarian

and human rights law

are generating devastating impact on millions of civilians.

Displacement and humanitarian crises have already reached

an unprecedented scale,

and all of these conflicts

have regional and global impact.

Overlapping emergencies make the spectre of spill over conflict very real.

The war in Gaza has explosive impact across the Middle East.

Conflicts in other regions, including in the Horn of Africa, Sudan and the Sahel,

could also escalate sharply.

Increasing militarization on the Korean Peninsula raises threat levels.

The deteriorating security crisis in the eastern provinces

of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

which the council will address on 3rd April, is alarming

in the Red Sea as well as the Black Sea

attacks are creating shockwaves for the global transport for goods,

adding to the economic pain inflicted on less developed countries.

Conflict, wars, violence

and yet the right to peace

is the mother of all human rights.

Without peace, all other rights are quashed.

It is urgent

that we devise ways to counter warmongering, fear

and the illogic

of escalating hatred and hostility

which bring short term profit to a view

while ruining the lives and rights of millions.

We need to regain a mindset of peace.

This means the art of de escalation,

keeping communication channels, open

rebuilding trust

and the long term work

of healing and reconciliation,

re establishing a sense of interconnectedness

and shared destiny of all humanity.

We have seen results from patient, persistent and principled engagement

as well as the meaningful empowerment of women and young people in decision making.

Mister President.

Last week I spoke about the situations in Myanmar and Sudan

where internal armed conflicts

characterised by atrocity crimes

are leading to tens of thousands of deaths,

the displacement of over 11 million people

and uncontrolled humanitarian crisis.

I have also briefed the council on the occupied Palestinian territory.

The war in Gaza has already generated dangerous spillover

in neighbouring countries

and I'm deeply concerned

that in this powder keg,

any spark could lead to a much broader conflagration.

This would have implications for every country in the Middle East

and many beyond it.

The military escalation in southern Lebanon between Israel, Hezbollah

and other armed groups is extremely worrying.

Almost 200 people have been killed in Lebanon

and some 90,000 internally displaced

with extensive damage to health facilities, schools and vital infrastructure

incidents in which civilians including Children,

paramedics and journalists have been killed

in attacks must be fully investigated.

Some 80

Israelis have also been displaced from border areas of Israel.

It's really important. It's imperative to do everything possible to avoid

a wider spillover

in Yemen.

The Ansar Allah group has been targeting commercial shipping across the Red Sea,

disrupting global maritime trade and driving up the price of goods

with especially significant impact on developing countries.

There is a serious risk of the conflict

extending to Yemen itself with potentially severe harm

to Yemen's people already suffering from the humanitarian

crisis generated by a decade of war.

I again call for the immediate release of

UN staff currently arbitrarily detained in Sana'a.

In Syria, where there is still no clear path to adjust and sustainable peace,

conflict is once again escalating 13 years after the onset

of the catastrophic civil war,

which was marked by horrific human rights violations and abuses.

Hostilities have recently taken place along several front lines

between parties in the northern part of the country,

including air strikes and shelling.

We are assisting the secretary general to set up

an independent institution dedicated to missing persons in Syria,

which will pave the way for victims,

survivors and their families right to the truth,

Mr President in Ukraine Two years after

the Russian Federation's full scale invasion,

my office has verified over 10,000 civilians killed in Ukraine,

with many more injured,

and the actual numbers are much higher

in the Russian Federation.

Open source websites have reported 147 civilians killed in the same period.

But instead of progress towards sustainable peace,

hostilities have again recently escalated with

Russian missiles and drone attacks,

leading to a steep increase in civilian casualties across Ukraine

in the occupied territory of Ukraine,

replicating processes observed in the occupied Crimean Peninsula

in 2014, 2015.

The Russian Federation has imposed its own legal and

administrative systems in violation of international humanitarian law,

and repressive measures are leading to widespread fear.

I will discuss the situation in greater detail on 28 March

in Ethiopia. Steps have been taken to implement

the cessation of Hostilities Agreement of November 2022

in

Tigray,

including the government's ending of military operations against the

Tigray People's Liberation Front,

establishment of an interim regional administration

and step and steps towards national transitional justice.

The

TPLF has ceased attacks on government forces

and handed over heavy weaponry.

Yet

the humanitarian situation is very serious

and the lack of concrete accountability measures

and persistent human rights violations in areas still under the control

of Eritrean and Amhara forces remain obstacles to durable peace.

Fighting continues between the government and armed groups in both the

Amhara

and

Oromia regions with severe impact on civilians.

My office will shortly release a report on this

in Mali.

The human rights situation remains very worrying,

with violations and abuses almost doubling in 2023 compared to 2022.

This increase coincided with the resumption of hostilities between

the security forces and armed groups following the withdrawal of

minus

two. Armed groups are in control of significant territory

in the border area with Burkina Faso and ***,

as well as in the region of Timbuktu,

parts of which have been under siege since August last year,

exacerbating threats to the rights of women and girls in particular,

while armed groups are responsible for the majority of serious violations,

we have also received credible allegations

of serious violations by Malian forces,

sometimes accompanied by foreign military personnel.

I call on Mali to ensure accountability.

In Burkina Faso,

military operations have intensified,

tens of thousands of auxiliaries of the security forces have been deployed

and a state of emergency has been declared

in 22 provinces. While security and human rights have deteriorated.

Armed groups are responsible for the majority of grave human rights violations,

as was reported again

last week.

My office has also documented an increase

in serious violations involving the security forces

and the volunteer

Bola

de

France de la

Patri auxiliaries.

Enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions of perceived critics

of the transitional authorities appear to be increasing.

I am also concerned by reports of forcible conscription

in this transitional period,

Opening space for debate is key to building a resilient and inclusive society.

I hope very much that the ongoing peace negotiations between Armenia and

Azerbaijan will lead to a positive outcome that is grounded in human rights

to build trust and achieve lasting reconciliation and peace.

The voices of victims and their families,

including those who fled their homes in September 23

must be genuinely heard

and their needs supported.

Many grievances that have persisted over decades

on both sides need to be addressed

and my office is available to support such initiatives

in the western Balkans region.

I am concerned by continued tensions between Serbia and Kosovo,

including violent incidents in northern Kosovo

in September last year.

Ongoing developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina are

worrying with recurrent threats of secession and

attacks on the constitutional order of the country

by the leadership of the Republika

Seska entity.

Increased threats to civic space in that entity are

especially concerning in this year of local elections,

as they have inhibited the work of civil society actors

to counter intensifying polarisation

and to advance reconciliation across the western Balkans.

It is vital for political leaders to speak

clearly about the truth of past atrocities,

including genocide,

and to promote justice

in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The prevalence and violence of gangs and organised crime

have severe impact on the lives and rights of millions of people,

including in Ecuador, in Haiti,

Honduras and Mexico.

Punitive

and militarised responses have in some cases led to grave human rights violations,

potentially potentially further fueling violence.

Only policies that are grounded in human

rights can provide effective and sustainable solutions.

Corruption, impunity, poor governance and the structural root causes of violence

such as discrimination and the failure to uphold economic,

social and cultural rights

must be tackled

with the full participation of civil society and affected communities.

International cooperations to be enhanced to address the illegal arms trade

and ensure accountability for transitional crimes.

Gun violence is also at alarming levels in a number of Caribbean countries,

including in Jamaica,

where it has led to repeated declarations of the state of emergency.

I commend the Caribbean Community for its work

to maintain peace and stability in the region,

its combat against the trade in illegal weapons

and its encouraging effort to establish

my office's presence in the Caricom

region.

I will address the extremely worrying situation in Haiti in detail

on the second of April and we have just seen the latest developments

in the news.

Mister President.

Fear is fragmenting societies across the world,

unleashing fury and hatred.

They are also fueled by a winner take all attitude

that frames elections as the spoils of conquest.

With elections in over 60 countries where nearly half of the world's people live,

2024

could be a landmark for democratic principles. Demos, the people,

Kratos. The rule.

A meaningful, safe and fully participatory electoral process is key

to ensure

that governance serves the people's human rights.

But democracy is also broader than the singular electoral moment.

Every 34 or five years, it lives or dies with the people's right

to participate in the conduct of public affairs constantly.

This empowerment of people from all walks of life

is the superpower of genuinely participatory societies because

it ensures trust in the institutions of governance

with decision making that is more relevant and more effective

because it is better informed

and balances the interests and needs of different groups.

Three quarters of the world's members of parliament are men

globally, women, That is to say, half the adult population

continue to be blocked from equal political participation

and representation,

and at the current rate of progress,

gender parity in national parliaments will not be achieved before 2063.

I urge all states to do more

to combat gender discrimination and violence against women

and to dismantle

the webs of laws and practises that keep women out of power.

Good governance requires constant oversight and accountability

via independent checks and balances to the exercise of power,

meaning that it is strongly underpinned by the rule of law,

including independent justice systems,

fundamental freedoms, the rights to freedom of opinion, expression,

peaceful assembly and association

are essential.

Corruption

is also a major challenge to democracy and rights.

Its primary impact is to divert decision making and

public resources from the common good to private benefit,

generating social and economic inequalities that may be so extensive

that they empty the institutions of the state of any meaning

and deprive people who are poor and dispossessed

of their rights to determine their future.

In many parts of the world,

many politicians are deliberately inflaming antagonism

and xenophobia to garner support,

particularly in electoral periods.

In this headlong rush

to

abandon the common good for the short term personal benefit,

they are tearing up

the fundamental human rights principles that can unite us all.

I am profoundly concerned by the prospect of intense disinformation campaigns

in the context of elections fueled by generative artificial intelligence.

There is an acute need for robust regulatory frameworks

to ensure responsible use of generative A. I

and my office is doing its utmost to advance them.

Mister President.

Autocracy and military coups

are the negation of democracy.

Every election, even an imperfect one,

constitutes an effort to at least formally acknowledge

the universal aspiration to democracy.

However,

in a so called illiberal democracy

or as the prime minister of Hungary referred to his country an illiberal state,

the formal structure of election is maintained,

civic freedoms are restricted,

the media's scrutiny of governance is eroded

by installing government control over key media outlets,

and independent oversight and justice institutions are deeply undermined,

concentrating power in the executive branch.

It is important to recognise that in many cases,

this year's electoral processes will ensure

a smooth transfer of power free of hatred

and that the governance structures that result will broadly achieve

their main function

of representing the many

voices of the people

and advancing their rights.

But in other cases

I have serious concerns about the human rights

context in which several elections are taking place

in the Russian Federation.

The authorities have further intensified their impression

of dissenting voices prior to this month's presidential election.

Several candidates have been prevented from running

due to alleged administrative irregularities.

The death in prison of opposition leader Alexei

Navalny adds to my serious concerns about his persecution.

Since the onset of Russia's war in Ukraine,

thousands of politicians, journalists, human rights defenders,

lawyers and people who have simply spoken their minds

on social media

have faced administrative and criminal charges and this trend

appears to have worsened in recent months,

with many cultural figures being targeted.

Last month, the new bill passed into law

that further punishes people convicted of distributing information

deemed to be false about Russia's armed forces as well as

people who seek to implement decisions by international organisations that the

that the Russian Federation does not take part in.

I urge a swift and comprehensive review of all cases of deprivation of liberty

that result from the exercise of fundamental freedoms as well as an immediate end

to the repression of independent voices and

the legal professionals who represent them.

The future of the country depends on an open space.

Iran's legislative election three days ago was

the Iranians first opportunity to vote.

Since the women life freedom protests of 2022 and 23

it took place in a country that has been deeply divided

by the government's repression of the rights of women and girls.

People who participated in the protests have been persecuted, imprisoned

on long sentences and in some cases, put to death.

The draught bill on supporting the family by

promoting the culture of chastity and hijab,

if adopted, would impose severe punishments for acts

that should not be deemed criminal in any country.

In my ongoing engagement with the Iranian authorities,

I have urged immediate reforms to uphold their rights,

the rights of all Iranians, including the right of women,

to make their own choices and an immediate moratorium on the death penalty

in Chad.

I am following with concern recent developments,

including the killing of the opposition leader.

I call for a transparent timely and independent investigation

and for

child's transition ahead of upcoming elections to

respect fully international human rights law.

Senegal's planned presidential election was abruptly cancelled last month

following the Constitutional Court's ruling

that the vote must take place as soon as possible.

The president has announced he will do so.

The country's civic space has been eroded over the past three years,

with close to 1000 opposition members

and activists reportedly arrested since 2021.

Many of them have been released conditionally

and I call for the review and release of all those who have not been freed,

including prominent opposition figures.

I encourage the government to ensure that the proposed national

dialogue includes genuine participation by people of all political views

in Ghana.

The president has announced that he will step down

following presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December,

having completed his

constitutionally limited second term in office.

This will mark Ghana's fifth

presidential succession since 1992 further concretize

its leadership in terms of respect for rules based institutional transitions.

Ghana Civil society has been instrumental in enhancing

civil and political participation in public affairs,

including in the fight against corruption.

At the same time,

restrictions have been mounting in recent years,

including risks for the safety of journalists.

Insecurity has also been growing in Ghana,

with regional security threats extending through northern areas in particular.

Rwanda is expected to hold presidential and parliamentary

elections in July against the backdrop of improved

economic and social well being over several decades

and an impressive record on women's political participation.

I urge rapid steps

to ensure fundamental freedoms together with genuine

investigations into allegations of enforced disappearances,

extrajudicial killings,

torture and intimidation as well as arbitrary detentions.

These are indispensable to creating a conducive environment ahead of elections

in Somalia. A process is under way to revise the provisional federal constitution

and I urge lawmakers to ensure that it fully

complies with Somalia's international and regional human rights commitments.

Devastating conflict persists and our staff have confirmed the

killing of at least 500 civilians in 2023.

The Al Shabaab

armed group is responsible for many of these killings, but

also

and I also deplore its recruitment and use of Children as fighters.

I urge reforms to restrictions on freedom of expression

to ensure a vibrant civic space given Somalia's realisation of

conditions for the IMF World Bank Heavily indebted poor countries framework.

I encourage the allocation of more resources to education,

health and social protection.

The people

of Libya

have a right to genuinely democratic, participative and accountable governance.

However, while elections are planned in Libya this year,

there has been little progress in terms

of concrete efforts to ensure reconciliation,

to set up accountability, including transitional justice,

or to enable a broad free and safe and safe civic space.

Progress must be achieved on all these points to

ensure genuine elections and to build unified and legitimate institutions

in India. With an electorate of 960 million people,

the coming election will be unique in scale.

I appreciate the country's secular and

democratic traditions and its great diversity.

I am, however, concerned

by increasing restrictions on the civic space,

with human rights defenders,

journalists and perceived critics targeted as well as by hate speech

and discrimination against minorities, especially Muslims.

It is particularly important in a pre electoral context

to ensure an open space

that respects the meaningful participation of everyone.

I welcome the Supreme Court's decision last month on

campaign finance schemes upholding the right to information and transparency

in Bangladesh.

I am concerned that thousands of opposition

party leaders and activists remain in detention

and that a number of deaths in custody have been reported since October.

While I condemn any form of political violence,

I urge a swift review of all these cases with a view to their release

to encourage political dialogue and reconciliation.

I continue to be concerned by allegations that the justice

system is being used to harass human rights advocates,

journalists and civil society leaders,

and I encourage investigations into alleged

enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings

in line with international standards.

In Pakistan, High participation in last month's elections

demonstrated how much

Pakistanis value democracy

and want an end to interference

in civilian rule.

Respect for the rights to freedom of opinion, expression,

peaceful assembly and association is fundamental

to strengthening democracy and resolving long

term economic and development challenges.

I urge the new government to end the use

of arbitrary detention and enforce disappearances against political opponents,

journalists,

members of minority communities and others

whose whereabouts remain unknown for weeks,

months

and in some cases years

in Mexico.

Several electoral processes will coincide in June,

resulting in the planned election of more than 20,000

public officers, including the president or members of the federal parliament

and a wide range of state

and local representatives and authorities.

This immense exercise of political and civil rights

must be safeguarded against violence

Venezuela,

where a presidential election is scheduled this year.

We will discuss it in depth on 18 March

In Poland,

the incoming coalition government has announced its intention

to restore civic freedoms and the independence of institutions

that had been weakened previously as well as reproductive rights,

ending the country's near total ban on abortion.

I welcome such moves and emphasise the need

to do so in an inclusive and participative process

reflecting the country's human rights commitments

in the United States of America in this electoral year.

It is particularly important for authorities at all levels

to implement recent recommendations by the UN Human Rights Committee

to ensure that suffrage is non discriminatory, equal and universal.

The 2021 presidential executive order acknowledges

that disproportionate and discriminatory policies and

other obstacles have restricted the right to vote for people of African descent

and emphasises the need to overturn them.

Yet, according to the Brennan Centre for justice.

At least 14 states have passed laws in 23

that have the effect of making voting more difficult.

In a context of intense political polarisation,

it is important to emphasise equal rights and

the equal value of every citizen's vote.

Mister President.

In Afghanistan, I deplore

continuing

and systematic violations of human rights,

particularly the comprehensive violations of the rights of women and girls,

which exclude them from almost every aspect of public life,

including secondary and tertiary education, employment and movement.

Advancing the rights of women and girls must be the

highest priority for all who work on and in Afghanistan.

The civic freedoms and media freedoms of all Afghans are profoundly curtailed,

with many women,

human rights defenders and journalists suffering arbitrary detentions.

The resumption of public executions is horrific.

I remain concerned about forced expulsion

of Afghans from neighbouring countries,

particularly for those who face the risk of persecution,

torture or other irreparable harm in Afghanistan.

In the United Arab Emirates, another mass trial is underway

based on counterterrorism legislation that contravenes human rights law. In

December, new charges were brought against 84 people,

including human rights defenders,

journalists and others who were already in prison.

Several were nearing the end of the sentence or have

been arbitrarily held in detention after completion of their sentence.

Their joint prosecution

constitutes the second

largest mass trial in the UAE's

history

after the so called UAE 94 case in 2021 and includes many of the same defendants.

I remain concerned about broader patterns of suppression of dissent

and the civic space in the country,

and I urge the government to review

domestic laws in line with international human rights

recommendations.

Dialogue between China and my office continues

in areas such as counter terrorism policies,

gender equality, minority protection, civic space and economic,

social and cultural rights.

As we move forward, it

is important

that this dialogue yield concrete results

notably in respect of the

policy areas raised during the universal periodic review.

I recognise China's

advances in alleviating poverty and advancing development,

and I have urged that these advances be accompanied

by reforms to align relevant laws and

policies with international human rights standards.

During the up,

China announced plans to adopt 30 new measures for human rights protection,

including amendments to the criminal law

and revisions of the criminal procedure law.

My office looks forward to engaging with China on this.

I particularly encourage revision

of the vague offence of picking quarrels and making trouble in Article 293

of the Criminal Law, and I urge the release of human rights defenders,

lawyers and others detained under such legislation.

I also call on the government to implement the recommendations made by my office

and other human rights bodies in relation to laws,

policies and practises that violate fundamental rights,

including in the Xinjiang and Tibet regions.

I'm engaging with the Hong Kong authorities

on continuing concerns about national security laws

in El Salvador. I encourage the government

in its second term of office to uphold the rule of law,

ensure the separation of powers and promote adequate checks and balances.

I also call on the authorities to provide conditions of detention

that ensure the dignity of all people deprived of their liberty,

including for those who are facing long periods without trial

and obstacles to accessing defence lawyers.

Protecting all Salvadorans from criminality and

violence is an important human rights

goal and only measures based on human rights can achieve it.

I encourage the authorities to empower people of all

opinions and from all communities to participate in decision making

in the context of civic space. Let me also point out that data where it is available

shows that many states need to adopt comprehensive

measures to combat police violence and discrimination.

For example,

last year's being black in the

EU in the European Union survey

by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights indicates that

58% of people stopped by police in the preceding year

perceived the action as racially motivated, with highest rates in Germany,

Spain and Sweden.

Since 2016, this perception has increased in Denmark,

Finland, France, Germany and Ireland.

It is important to analyse the factors that

lie behind these perceptions and to address them.

Non governmental data from the United States and Brazil continues to

point to disproportionately high levels of deaths of people of African descent

in the context of police

interventions

in many countries, including in Europe and North America.

I am concerned by the apparently growing influence of so called great replacement

conspiracy theories based

on the false notion

that Jews, Muslims, non white people and migrants seek to replace

or suppress countries, cultures and peoples.

These delusional

and deeply racist ideas

have directly influenced many perpetrators of violence,

together with the so called war on Woke,

which is really a war on inclusion,

these ideas aim to exclude racial minorities,

particularly women from racial minorities and LGBT Q people from full equality.

Multiculturalism is not a threat. It is the history of humanity

and deeply beneficial to us all.

I deplore escalating attacks, attacks against LGBT, Q people and their rights.

Discriminatory legislation policies have recently been expanded,

adopted or are under consideration in Belarus, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Lebanon,

***, Nigeria, the Russian Federation,

Uganda and several states within the United States of America, among others.

I also regret the recent court ruling in ST Vincent and

the Grenadines that maintains colonial era

criminalization of consensual same sex relations

based on long discredited arguments and harmful stereotypes.

Recognising the rights of LGBT Q people goes to the meaning of equality

and the right of everyone to live free from violence and discrimination.

In that light,

I commend important steps to its full recognition

of the rights of LGBT group plus people increase

and the decriminalisation

of consensual same sex relations in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Mauritius,

Saint Kitts and Nevis and Singapore

in the past two years.

Mr President,

peace,

like development, is built and nourished through rights.

It is by upholding and advancing the full spectrum of human rights,

including the right to development

and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment

that states can craft solutions that are durable

because they respond to the universal truth of our

equality and the inextinguishable desire for freedom and justice.

History is a record of humanity's capacity to surmount the worst challenges.

Among the greatest achievements of humanity over the past 75 years

has been the recognition

that addressing human rights in every country and all human rights it's

not an A la carte menu is a matter of international concern.

Thank you, Mr President.

I thank you, Mister High Commissioner, for your global Update.

HRC: Global Update by Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - 04 March 2024