The world’s top United Nations official delivered a stark warning Monday about the deteriorating state of global human rights, pointing to civilian casualties in multiple international conflicts as evidence of widespread violations.
Speaking at the Human Rights Council’s opening session in Geneva, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres highlighted the devastating impact on civilians caught in conflicts across Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine as examples of how international law is being ignored.
“The rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force,” Guterres told the assembled delegates.
The UN leader emphasized that human rights protections are facing intentional rollbacks worldwide, cautioning member nations against treating international human rights standards as optional choices rather than binding obligations.
Guterres also mounted a strong defense of the United Nations’ human rights infrastructure, which he described as operating in “survival mode” due to severe financial constraints. The system faces mounting pressure from budget reductions, attacks against its experts, and the United States’ decision to withdraw from a crucial universal rights accountability framework.
“Humanitarian needs are exploding while funding collapses,” the Secretary General stated.
The UN’s human rights division is experiencing the same financial difficulties affecting other parts of the organization, stemming largely from reduced contributions by the United States and other donor countries. As the UN’s largest financial contributor, America’s funding decisions significantly impact the organization’s operations.
According to a UN spokesperson who spoke Thursday, Washington made a payment of approximately $160 million in February toward its outstanding UN obligations, which total more than $4 billion.
