UN Geneva - Multimedia Newsroom : HRC57 Opening

Mr President. Excellence is distinguished delegates

Next month

will mark two years. Since I took up my position as High Commissioner

for this global update,

I would therefore like to depart from

the usual listing of various country situations

and offer some broader reflections about the state of human rights. Today,

at the midway point of my mandate,

it seems to me

we are

at a fork in the road.

We can either continue on our current path a

treacherous new normal

and sleepwalk into a dystopian future.

Or we can wake up and turn things around for the better

for humanity and the planet.

The new normal cannot be endless, vicious military escalation

and increasingly horrifying,

technologically advanced methods of warfare, control and repression.

The new normal cannot be continued indifference

to deepening inequalities between

and within states.

It cannot be the free for all spread of disinformation,

smothering facts

and the ability to make free and informed choices.

Heated rhetoric

and simplistic fixes,

erasing context, nuance

and empathy,

paving the way for hate speech

and the dire consequences that will inevitably follow

the new normal cannot mean

accepting the injustice driven by creed that

the triple planetary crisis affects those who are the least responsible the most,

or

that sustainable development remains elusive for so many.

The new normal cannot be that national sovereignty is twisted

to shroud

or excuse horrific violations

or

the discrediting of multilateral institutions

or attempts to rewrite the international rules,

chipping away at universally agreed norms.

This cannot be

the world we want

as individuals,

for our families and loved ones,

for our societies and for our global community and future generations.

We can

and must make a different choice,

reconnect

with our common humanity, nature and our planet.

In other words,

we could choose to be guided by human rights

and the universal values that we all share.

Mr. President. Human rights

is human rights are not in crisis,

but political leadership needed to make them

a reality is

in every region around the world.

We see deep seated power dynamics at play to grab or

hold on to power at the expense of universal human rights.

Despite some important advancements 30 years

after the universal commitments on women's rights in Beijing,

the shadow of patriarchy still looms large.

We are seeing alarming regressions on gender equality issues

that we thought had been settled years ago.

At the most extreme, for example,

in Afghanistan,

despicable laws and policies are effectively erasing women from public life.

But everywhere,

insidiously

hate

and subtle

and at sometimes not so subtle misogyny, online and offline are almost normalised.

Women experience higher poverty rates than men in most parts of the world.

Gender based violence, including intimate partner violence,

is devastatingly frequent

and remains largely hidden.

Justice for victims and prevention efforts are woefully inadequate

in stark contradiction with the promise that all

human beings are born free and equal.

Racism, racial discrimination,

xenophobia and related intolerance continue to plague

societies propped up by entrenched power structures,

vested interests,

institutional inertia and harmful stereotypes often rooted in legacies of

colonialism and enslavement.

Despite some progress,

it remains uneven and insufficient.

In far too many states across all regions,

we see as a result deepening socio-economic inequalities.

There is also a dearth

of data driven policies which are crucial for transparency and accountability.

To address these phenomena

later this session,

I will present my report on systemic racism and multiple and intersecting

forms of discrimination faced by Africans and people of African descent.

Then

there are those politicians

amplified by some media outlets

who scapegoat

migrants, refugees and minorities. As we have seen, for example,

around electoral periods in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary,

the United Kingdom

and the United States of America, to name a few.

They capitalise on anxiety and despair,

pitting one group against the other,

and they seek to distract and divide.

History has shown us

that hateful words

can trigger hateful actions.

Political leadership, grounded in human rights and evidence based debate

are the antidote to all of this.

This is the only way to tackle the real challenges that people face

in areas such as health, housing, employment

and social protection.

Despite the significant and welcome global shift

towards decriminalisation of consensual same sex relations,

we see a spate of laws being adopted to

establish or expand criminal sanctions in some countries,

such as in Ghana, Indonesia, Iraq

and Uganda. Contrary to the basic universal norms which states have agreed

at the end,

such policies harm societies as a whole, leaving people behind

Mr President on the death penalty.

The overall positive trend towards its abolition worldwide is marred

by a substantial increase in executions in a limited number of states,

such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly for drug related crimes,

but also Saudi Arabia.

This has resulted in a steady increase in the

number of people known to have been executed worldwide.

It will be important to tackle this head on

and to provide the evidence and policy arguments

so that this trend can be reversed again.

Societies are by nature

in constant evolution.

But rather than embracing this creatively,

we see attempts to muzzle freedoms of expression,

assembly and association and a free press,

including in electoral contexts.

Such freedoms are, however, crucial

for critical debate to bring out the best in societies and to find solutions to the

manifold problems we face.

Examples include detention of journalists in Azerbaijan,

arrests, detention and harassment of political opponents in Mali,

Uganda and Venezuela.

Arrests and detention of political opponents and activists in Tunisia,

persecution of political opponents and journalists in Nicaragua,

and crackdowns on activists in Vietnam.

In China, undue restrictions on civic space

continue to be imposed in the name of national security and social stability.

Mr President,

state capture in its various forms is an abuse of power

with serious consequences for human rights,

powerful economic and political actors take control

of what should be independent state institutions,

such as the judiciary or electoral commissions.

They silence critical voices and plunder resources purely for their own political

and financial gain.

We see this, for example,

in Guatemala,

where the criminal law and its processes are abused by some official actors,

such as the attorney general,

to pressure and persecute those involved in defending human rights

and promoting accountability.

In some instances,

segments of the private sector engage in the illegal trade

of a nation's resources to the detriment of the country's development

and its population as widely reported, for example,

in the Central African Republic

or Eastern

Democratic Republic of Congo,

it is also an endemic problem

in Latin America, including in Brazil and Peru.

Mr. President, I also wish to warn about newer forms of power

wielded on people's lives

and on our global public square through

improperly or insufficiently regulated digital technologies.

This also includes the wholesale exploitation of our data.

Human rights, including protecting free expression and privacy,

must be front and centre in efforts to regulate

digital technologies while helping ensure that online violence,

disinformation, hate speech and incitement to hatred are stopped in their tracks.

We must actively ensure that the benefits of

of technological

digital

technologies and artificial intelligence are accessible to those most in need

to help reduce global inequalities and close digital divides.

The global digital compact that is currently being finalised in New York,

therefore needs to be anchored firmly in the normative human rights framework.

Mr.

President,

I have been speaking about the negative impact on people's

rights of entrenched power structures and the misuse of power,

and yet movements

such as those against apartheid racism for

women's rights for environmental rights too.

And many others have shown us how human

rights can trigger positive change in society,

steering us to greater justice and stability.

Human rights are regulators and correctors of power dynamics gone awry.

Recently in Bangladesh, for example,

the student movement carried human rights

as its torch.

The country now has an opportunity to chart a new future,

with the interim government making publicly clear its commitment to a peaceful

and inclusive process grounded in human rights and the rule of law.

My office is supporting the authorities,

including by conducting an independent fact finding mission

into recent alleged human rights violations

and an accountability processes of reconciliation and healing

and other essential, long delayed reforms.

More broadly,

with some elections already having taken place and others still to come this year,

I urge all voters to keep in mind

the issues that matter most to them, be it a home

education

for their Children,

their health or job justice, their family and loved ones.

The environment to be free from violence, tackling corruption

being heard. These are all human rights issues.

I urge voters to ask themselves which of the political platforms

or candidates will work for the human rights of everyone,

which will promote equality of opportunity

and strive to foster economies that offer decent work for decent pay.

Which of the political parties have human

rights and solidarity as part of their vision

rather than undermining them?

And I urge all voters to be vigilant.

Be wary of the shrill voices the strongman types

that throw glitter

in our eyes, offering illusory

solutions that deny reality.

As I said earlier,

know

that one. When one group is singled out as a scapegoat for society's ills,

one day your own might be next.

Mr President. 75 years ago,

states adopted the four Geneva conventions,

elaborating laws of war

that they agreed to uphold in the wake of

the horrors and devastation of two world wars.

And almost 80 years ago,

they adopted the United Nations Charter, promising, I quote,

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.

And yet here we are,

with a crossing of innumerable red lines or readiness to tow right up to them.

Almost two years ago in Sudan,

where I undertook my first visit as high commissioner,

there was hope.

Today,

the country is experiencing one of the

world's worst humanitarian and protection crises,

fueled by long standing impunity, a

firestorm of

zero

power struggles, competing economic interests and instrumental

of ethnic tensions.

Estimates suggest that over 20,000 people have been killed.

The world cannot let this continue.

We know

that wars spill over

and into future generations, fostering repeated cycles of hatred

if their causes remain unaddressed.

Sadly,

the war in Gaza is the quintessential example.

Since the horrific 7 October attacks claimed

the lives of over 1200 victims in Israel

and injured many others,

over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces,

several 1000 injured

and thousands remain under the rubble in Gaza

each day Palestinians struggle to survive.

Nearly 1.9 million people have been forcibly displaced across the strip,

many multiple times.

11 months on

101 Israeli hostages are still held to be in Gaza,

while the actual number is likely higher.

Almost 10,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons

or ad hoc military facilities,

many arbitrarily with over 50 people having

died due to inhumane conditions and ill treatment

in the West Bank.

Deadly and destructive operations,

some at a scale not witnessed in the last two decades, are worsening

a

calamitous situation. They are already aggravated by serious settler violence.

Ending the war and averting a full blown

regional conflict is an absolute and urgent priority.

Equally,

the wider situation of illegality across the occupied Palestinian territory,

deriving from Israel's policies and practises are so clearly spelled

out by the International Court of Justice in its advisory,

opinion in July

must be comprehensively addressed.

States must not

and cannot accept blatant disregard for international law,

including binding decisions of the Security Council

and orders of the International Court of Justice. Neither in this

nor any other situation

in Ukraine,

civilians are trapped in cycles of terror

through ongoing attacks by the Russian Federation,

striking civilian facilities like hospitals, schools and supermarkets,

and repeated waves of targeting of

energy infrastructure leading to countrywide blackouts.

I fear for Ukrainians this coming winter,

troubled by the impact of the recent escalations on civilians, including in

Kursk.

My office has pursued access to all affected areas

to be able to monitor the human rights situation.

I regret

the Russian Federation has so far declined to grant such access to relevant areas.

Myanmar's

crisis continues to plumb the depths of inhumanity with recent air strikes,

mass arrests and reports of extrajudicial killings continuing unabated

with some of the highest numbers of civilian casualties.

Amidst stifling impunity, civilians are paying the heaviest price

and we have seen the highest number of civilian

casualties reported since the current crisis began in 2021

and the Rohingya community violently cornered in northern Rakhine

state with nowhere safe to turn

in Many of these situations, even minimal humanitarian aid

to civilians is instrumental,

diverted or indeed blocked altogether,

as is access for human rights monitors.

For those of us engaged in these works,

it is as if We are standing

on the banks of a river, watching people drown with life buoys piled at our feet.

In other cases, violence is directed at the human rights at the

at

the human rights and humanitarian system.

As with the outrageous detention of UN staff in Yemen,

UN staff and humanitarian workers must never be targeted.

I will provide dedicated updates on many of

these and other situations later this session.

Excellencies

States themselves have designed international human rights and humanitarian law

to preserve and guarantee our common humanity.

These norms are our mainstay against unbridled power,

all parties to conflicts and other states,

particularly those with influence,

must do everything they can put an end to violations.

One concrete action would be for states in

line with their obligations under the Geneva Conventions

and human rights due diligence,

to refrain from exporting or transferring arms to a party to an armed conflict

where there is a real risk

that they would be used in breach of international humanitarian law.

I am encouraged that some states have already taken steps in this direction,

Mr President, Human rights

work is crucial to peace

to preventing conflict in the first place

to providing early warning signals when conflict is likely to erupt.

To establishing objective, reliable facts of what has happened in the fog of war,

with a view to achieving truth

and justice for every victim

the day after,

and to ensuring peace negotiations are inclusive

and acceptable to all parties and therefore truly sustainable

peace. Accords throughout the 19 nineties

from countries in the former

Yugoslavia to Guatemala and Cambodia

showed the value of integrating human rights

in Liberia too.

Human rights principles were transformative in peace processes,

particularly promoting women's participation.

My office was directly involved in negotiations

of the 2016 peace agreement in Colombia

and we are still present in the country

to help integrate the human rights dimension,

most recently to provide, for example, guidance

on dismantling criminal organisations and

supporting transitional justice institutions.

I also welcome the progress Nepal is making to establish

the transitional justice bodies envisaged in the 2006 peace accords.

We also must unite in support of justice nationally and globally,

the watershed moments of the Nuremberg trials

and the judgments of the

ICTY and

ICTR

in Sierra Leone and Cambodia before the ICC and national courts

by dint of universal jurisdiction are clear messages to perpetrators.

Once you have committed this type of crime,

there is always the risk of accountability becoming personal.

A clear and comprehensive framework

is key here

and it's a normative framework.

I therefore welcome the current efforts of states

to fill a gap

in that existing structure and to advance negotiations on a

convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against Humanity.

Mr. President. Instability at home

fuels global instability

Conversely,

solidarity and cohesion within countries form

a solid foundation for international co-operation.

As states acknowledged in the Vienna Declaration Programme of Action in 93.

The promotion and protection of all human rights

is a legitimate concern of the international community.

As High Commissioner, I remain committed to advancing a vision of human rights

for the 21st century that is solution oriented, forward looking and unifying,

and that speaks to every human being directly

international.

Cooper operation grounded in human rights is the channel we have to

affect change and to address the massive challenges of our time.

Multilateral institutions, including the international human rights system,

are at the disposal of the international community

to enable dialogue with greater representativeness

to address the roots of mistrust and to facilitate progress

and importantly to be the voice of reason based

on evidence and facts in our turbulent times,

developing much needed longer term thinking

and providing concrete solutions to concrete problems.

It is therefore pivotal

fully to embrace the opportunities offered by the human rights ecosystem,

including my office,

and to ensure that human rights are bolstered

and strongly integrated

in the upcoming pact for the future.

This is a plea

I make to each and every one of you to each of your delegations

here today at this critical juncture of the negotiations,

you have built this formidable normative architecture

in larger freedom

and for good reason,

use and reinforce it in good faith and with humility,

since nothing can be taken for granted.

Mister President,

going forward,

I like to be transparent about my approach to my mandate

about the challenges and the opportunities

I believe in engagement frank exchanges and keeping dialogue open

even more so in the face of fierce disagreement,

we need to overcome absolutist approaches,

the US versus them mentality and the lack of nuances.

The world is far too complex.

It is my duty to speak out publicly whenever necessary

to achieve the greatest positive impact.

Human rights are meant to challenge our own assumptions

and identify the blind spots. They are meant to encourage self critical reflection

because no one is perfect.

Selectivity and inconsistent standards serve no one,

and certainly not victims of human rights violations.

The argument that we should only focus on the biggest crisis of the day

doesn't hold for the human rights cause

because human rights

begin. And I quote from Eleanor Roosevelt

in small places close to home,

and human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent.

It is important for me to understand when and

why some states resist engaging meaningfully with my office

and some only come to us when they have a problem elsewhere.

So it will remain my priority to assure all

states of the value of engaging with my office

and the

and the human rights system as a whole, not for engagement's sake,

but to achieve tangible progress.

Internally, we have devoted considerable time

to designing an organisational plan to make UN human rights more effective

and responsive, fit for purpose

to deliver on the many expectations you have of us.

and the requests for assistance, support and advice that we receive.

We need your active funding and strategic and

political support to help us implement it.

Governments and other actors will not always like what we have to say

that is inherent in the very nature of human rights.

But I urge you not to kill the messenger

and instead to focus on furthering our fundamental common objective

the promotion and protection

of human rights for everyone everywhere.

My office will continue to work tirelessly in support of victims everywhere.

I urge you all to make use of this institution to the fullest

because a strong UN human rights office and a healthy,

well resourced human rights ecosystem are of global interest and benefit.

And they represent an extraordinary return on investment at a

tiny fraction of the resources so readily devoted elsewhere.

Collectively, we should make the choice

of rejecting the new normal

and the dystopian future it would present.

Let us embrace and trust the full power of human rights

as the path to the world. We want

more peaceful, just

fair

and sustainable.

Thank you very much.

HRC57 Opening - HC Türk Global Update