Secretary-General's Remarks to the Human Rights Council [as delivered]
United Nations Secretary-General
Geneva, Switzerland
24 February 2025
Mr. President of the General Assembly, Mr. President of the Human Rights Council, High Commissioner,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
We begin this session under the weight of a grim milestone — the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the UN charter.
More than 12,600 civilians killed, with many more injured.
Entire communities reduced to rubble.
Hospitals and schools destroyed.
We must spare no effort to bring an end to this conflict, and to achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.
Conflicts like the war in Ukraine exact a heavy toll.
A toll on people.
A toll on fundamental principles like territorial integrity, sovereignty and the rule of law.
And a toll on the vital business of this Council.
Without respect for human rights — civil, cultural, economic, political and social — sustainable peace is a pipedream.
And like this Council, human rights shine a light in the darkest places.
Through your work, and the work of the High Commissioner's Office around the world, you're supporting brave human rights defenders risking persecution, detention and even death.
You're working with governments, civil society and others to strengthen action on human rights.
And you're supporting investigations and accountability.
Five years ago, we launched our Call to Action for Human Rights, embedding human rights across the work of the United Nations around the world in close cooperation with our partners.
I will continue supporting this important work, and the High Commissioner's Office, as we fight for human rights everywhere.
Excellencies,
We have our work cut out for us.
Human rights are the oxygen of humanity.
But one by one, human rights are being suffocated.
By autocrats, crushing opposition because they fear what a truly empowered people would do.
By a patriarchy that keeps girls out of school, and women at arm's length from basic rights.
By wars and violence that strip populations of their right to food, water and education.
By warmongers who thumb their nose at international law, international humanitarian law and the UN Charter.
Human rights are being suffocated by the climate crisis.
And by a morally bankrupt global financial system that too often obstructs the path to greater equality and sustainable development.
By runaway technologies like Artificial Intelligence that hold great promise, but also the ability to violate human rights at the touch of a button.
By growing intolerance against entire groups — from Indigenous peoples, to migrants and refugees, to the LGBTQI+ community, to persons with disabilities.
And by voices of division and anger who view human rights not as a boon to humanity, but as a barrier to the power, profit and control they seek.
In short — human rights are on the ropes and being pummeled hard.
This represents a direct threat to all of the hard-won mechanisms and systems established over the last 80 years to protect and advance human rights.
But as the recently adopted Pact for the Future reminds us, human rights are, in fact, a source of solutions.
The Pact provides a playbook on how we can win the fight for human rights on several fronts.
First — human rights through peace and peace through human rights.
Conflicts inflict human rights violations on a massive scale.
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, violations of human rights have skyrocketed since the horrific Hamas attacks of October 7 and the intolerable levels of death and destruction in Gaza.
And I am gravely concerned by the rising violence in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and other violations, as well as calls for annexation. We are witnessing a precarious ceasefire. We must avoid at all costs a resumption of hostilities. The people in Gaza have already suffered too much.
It's time for a permanent ceasefire, the dignified release of all remaining hostages, irreversible progress towards a two-State solution, an end to the occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, with Gaza as an integral part.
In Sudan, bloodshed, displacement and famine are engulfing the country.
The warring parties must take immediate action to protect civilians, uphold human rights, cease hostilities and forge peace.
And domestic and international human rights monitoring and investigation mechanisms should be permitted to document what is happening on the ground.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we see a deadly whirlwind of violence and horrifying human rights abuses, amplified by the recent M23 offensive, supported by the Rwandan Defense Forces.
As more cities fall, the risk of a regional war rises.
It's time to silence the guns.
It's time for diplomacy and dialogue.
The recent joint summit in Tanzania offered a way forward with a renewed call for an immediate ceasefire.
The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected.
The Congolese people deserve peace.
In the Sahel, I call for a renewed regional dialogue to protect citizens from terrorism and systemic violations of human rights, and to create the conditions for sustainable development.
In Myanmar, the situation has grown far worse in the four years since the military seized power and arbitrarily detained members of the democratically elected government.
We need greater cooperation to bring an end to the hostilities and forge a path towards an inclusive democratic transition and a return to civilian rule, allowing for the safe return of the Rohingya refugees.
And in Haiti, we are seeing massive human rights violations — including more than a million people displaced, and children facing a horrific increase in sexual violence and recruitment into gangs.
In the coming days, I will put forward proposals to the United Nations Security Council for greater stability and security for the people of Haiti — namely through an effective UN assistance mechanism to support the Multilateral Security Support mission, the national police and Haitian authorities.
A durable solution requires a political process — led and owned by the Haitian people — that restores democratic institutions through elections.
The Pact for the Future calls for peace processes and approaches rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international law and the UN Charter.
It proposes specific actions to prioritize conflict prevention, mediation, resolution and peacebuilding.
And it includes a commitment to tackle the root causes of conflict, which are so often enmeshed in denials of basic human needs and rights.
Second — the Pact for the Future advances human rights through development.
The Sustainable Development Goals and human rights are fundamentally intertwined.
They represent real human needs — health, food, water, education, decent work and social protection.
With less than one-fifth of the Goals on track, the Pact calls for a massive acceleration through an SDG Stimulus, reforming the global financial architecture, and taking meaningful action for countries drowning in debt.
This must include focused action to conquer the most widespread human rights abuse in history — inequality for women and girls.
The Pact calls for investing in battling all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, and ensuring their meaningful participation and leadership across all walks of life.
And along with the Declaration on Future Generations, the Pact calls for supporting the rights and futures of young people through decent work, removing barriers for youth participation, and enhancing training.
And the Global Digital Compact calls on nations to champion young innovators, nurture entrepreneurial spirit, and equip the next generation with digital literacy and skills.
Third — the Pact for the Future recognizes that the rule of law and human rights go hand-in-hand.
The rule of law, when founded on human rights, is an essential pillar of protection.
It shields the most vulnerable.
It's the first line of defense against crime and corruption.
It supports fair, just and inclusive economies and societies.
It holds perpetrators of human rights atrocities to account.
It enables civic space for people to make their voices heard — and for journalists to carry out their essential work, free from interference or threats.
And it reaffirms the world's commitment to equal access to justice, good governance, and transparent and accountable institutions.
Quatrièmement, réaliser les droits humains grâce à l'action climatique.
L'année dernière a été la plus chaude jamais enregistrée, et vient couronner la décennie la plus chaude jamais enregistrée.
La hausse des températures, la fonte des glaciers et le réchauffement des océans ne peuvent mener qu'au désastre.
Inondations, sécheresses, tempêtes meurtrières, famine, déplacements massifs : notre guerre contre la nature est aussi une guerre contre les droits humains.
Nous devons prendre un autre chemin.
Je salue les nombreux États Membres qui reconnaissent légalement le droit à un environnement sain, et j'appelle tous les pays à faire de même.
Les gouvernements doivent tenir leur promesse d'élaborer cette année de nouveaux plans d'action nationaux pour le climat couvrant l'ensemble de l'économie, et ce bien avant la COP 30 qui se tiendra au Brésil.
Ces plans doivent limiter la hausse de la température mondiale à 1,5 degré, notamment en accélérant la transition énergétique mondiale.
Nous avons également besoin d'une augmentation massive des financements pour l'action climatique dans les pays en développement, afin de s'adapter au réchauffement de la planète, de réduire les émissions et d'accélérer la révolution des énergies renouvelables, qui offre d'énormes possibilités économiques.
Nous devons nous opposer aux campagnes mensongères menées par de nombreux acteurs de l'industrie des combustibles fossiles et à ceux qui la font vivre et s'en rendent complices...
Tout comme nous devons protéger et défendre les personnes qui sont en première ligne de la lutte pour une justice climatique.
Et cinquièmement, réaliser les droits humains grâce à une gouvernance renforcée et améliorée des technologies.
À l'heure où des technologies en rapide mutation s'immiscent dans tous les aspects de notre vie, je m'inquiète des risques qu'elles représentent pour les droits humains.
Dans le meilleur des cas, les médias sociaux sont un lieu de rencontre où l'on peut échanger des idées et débattre avec respect.
Mais ils peuvent aussi devenir un théâtre de confrontations enflammées et d'une ignorance flagrante.
Un lieu où les poisons que sont la mésinformation, la désinformation, le racisme, la misogynie et les discours de haine sont non seulement tolérés, mais, bien souvent, encouragés.
La violence verbale en ligne peut facilement se transformer en violence physique dans le monde réel.
Les reculs récents en matière de vérification des faits et de modération de contenu sur les réseaux sociaux rouvrent grand la porte à plus de haine, plus de menaces et plus de violence.
Que l'on ne s'y trompe pas.
Ces reculs entraîneront une diminution de la liberté d'expression, et non une amplification - car les gens craignent de plus en plus de s'exprimer sur ces plateformes.
Dans le même temps, la grande promesse de l'intelligence artificielle s'accompagne d'un risque insondable qui met en péril l'autonomie, l'identité et le contrôle humains - jusqu'aux droits humains.
Face à ces menaces, le Pacte numérique mondial rassemble le monde entier pour veiller à ce que les droits humains ne soient pas sacrifiés sur l'autel de la technologie.
Il s'agit notamment de collaborer avec les entreprises numériques et les décideurs politiques pour étendre le respect des droits humains à tous les recoins du cyberespace, en mettant notamment l'accent sur l'intégrité de l'information sur toutes les plateformes numériques.
Les Principes mondiaux pour l'intégrité de l'information que j'ai lancés l'année dernière viendront étayer et orienter les efforts que nous déploierons en vue de créer un écosystème de l'information plus humain.
Le Pacte numérique mondial comprend également le premier accord universel sur la gouvernance de l'intelligence artificielle qui donne voix au chapitre à tous les pays, ainsi que des engagements en matière de renforcement des capacités, visant à ce que tous les pays et toutes les personnes bénéficient du potentiel de l'intelligence artificielle.
Pour cela, il faut investir dans l'accès à l'Internet à un prix abordable, dans les formations au numérique et dans les infrastructures ;
Aider les pays en développement à utiliser l'intelligence artificielle pour développer les petites entreprises, améliorer les services publics et connecter les communautés à de nouveaux marchés.
Et mettre les droits humains au centre des systèmes fondés sur l'intelligence artificielle.
Les décisions du Pacte - d'établir un Groupe scientifique international indépendant et un Dialogue mondial régulier garantissant la participation de tous les pays dans l'élaboration de l'avenir de l'intelligence artificielle - constituent des avancées importantes. Il faut les concrétiser.
Excellences,
Mesdames et Messieurs,
Nous pouvons mettre fin à l'asphyxie des droits humains en donnant vie au Pacte pour l'avenir et aux travaux de ce Conseil.
Attelons-nous à cette tâche - ensemble. Nous n'avons pas un instant à perdre.
Et je vous remercie.
[all-English version]
Mr. President of the General Assembly, Mr. President of the Human Rights Council, High Commissioner,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
We begin this session under the weight of a grim milestone — the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in violation of the UN charter.
More than 12,600 civilians killed, with many more injured.
Entire communities reduced to rubble.
Hospitals and schools destroyed.
We must spare no effort to bring an end to this conflict, and to achieve a just and lasting peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.
Conflicts like the war in Ukraine exact a heavy toll.
A toll on people.
A toll on fundamental principles like territorial integrity, sovereignty and the rule of law.
And a toll on the vital business of this Council.
Without respect for human rights — civil, cultural, economic, political and social — sustainable peace is a pipedream.
And like this Council, human rights shine a light in the darkest places.
Through your work, and the work of the High Commissioner's Office around the world, you're supporting brave human rights defenders risking persecution, detention and even death.
You're working with governments, civil society and others to strengthen action on human rights.
And you're supporting investigations and accountability.
Five years ago, we launched our Call to Action for Human Rights, embedding human rights across the work of the United Nations around the world in close cooperation with our partners.
I will continue supporting this important work, and the High Commissioner's Office, as we fight for human rights everywhere.
Excellencies,
We have our work cut out for us.
Human rights are the oxygen of humanity.
But one by one, human rights are being suffocated.
By autocrats, crushing opposition because they fear what a truly empowered people would do.
By a patriarchy that keeps girls out of school, and women at arm's length from basic rights.
By wars and violence that strip populations of their right to food, water and education.
By warmongers who thumb their nose at international law, international humanitarian law and the UN Charter.
Human rights are being suffocated by the climate crisis.
And by a morally bankrupt global financial system that too often obstructs the path to greater equality and sustainable development.
By runaway technologies like Artificial Intelligence that hold great promise, but also the ability to violate human rights at the touch of a button.
By growing intolerance against entire groups — from Indigenous peoples, to migrants and refugees, to the LGBTQI+ community, to persons with disabilities.
And by voices of division and anger who view human rights not as a boon to humanity, but as a barrier to the power, profit and control they seek.
In short — human rights are on the ropes and being pummeled hard.
This represents a direct threat to all of the hard-won mechanisms and systems established over the last 80 years to protect and advance human rights.
But as the recently adopted Pact for the Future reminds us, human rights are, in fact, a source of solutions.
The Pact provides a playbook on how we can win the fight for human rights on several fronts.
First — human rights through peace and peace through human rights.
Conflicts inflict human rights violations on a massive scale.
In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, violations of human rights have skyrocketed since the horrific Hamas attacks of October 7 and the intolerable levels of death and destruction in Gaza.
And I am gravely concerned by the rising violence in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and other violations, as well as calls for annexation. We are witnessing a precarious ceasefire. We must avoid at all costs a resumption of hostilities. The people in Gaza have already suffered too much.
It's time for a permanent ceasefire, the dignified release of all remaining hostages, irreversible progress towards a two-State solution, an end to the occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, with Gaza as an integral part.
In Sudan, bloodshed, displacement and famine are engulfing the country.
The warring parties must take immediate action to protect civilians, uphold human rights, cease hostilities and forge peace.
And domestic and international human rights monitoring and investigation mechanisms should be permitted to document what is happening on the ground.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we see a deadly whirlwind of violence and horrifying human rights abuses, amplified by the recent M23 offensive, supported by the Rwandan Defense Forces.
As more cities fall, the risk of a regional war rises.
It's time to silence the guns.
It's time for diplomacy and dialogue.
The recent joint summit in Tanzania offered a way forward with a renewed call for an immediate ceasefire.
The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected.
The Congolese people deserve peace.
In the Sahel, I call for a renewed regional dialogue to protect citizens from terrorism and systemic violations of human rights, and to create the conditions for sustainable development.
In Myanmar, the situation has grown far worse in the four years since the military seized power and arbitrarily detained members of the democratically elected government.
We need greater cooperation to bring an end to the hostilities and forge a path towards an inclusive democratic transition and a return to civilian rule, allowing for the safe return of the Rohingya refugees.
And in Haiti, we are seeing massive human rights violations — including more than a million people displaced, and children facing a horrific increase in sexual violence and recruitment into gangs.
In the coming days, I will put forward proposals to the United Nations Security Council for greater stability and security for the people of Haiti — namely through an effective UN assistance mechanism to support the Multilateral Security Support mission, the national police and Haitian authorities.
A durable solution requires a political process — led and owned by the Haitian people — that restores democratic institutions through elections.
The Pact for the Future calls for peace processes and approaches rooted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international law and the UN Charter.
It proposes specific actions to prioritize conflict prevention, mediation, resolution and peacebuilding.
And it includes a commitment to tackle the root causes of conflict, which are so often enmeshed in denials of basic human needs and rights.
Second — the Pact for the Future advances human rights through development.
The Sustainable Development Goals and human rights are fundamentally intertwined.
They represent real human needs — health, food, water, education, decent work and social protection.
With less than one-fifth of the Goals on track, the Pact calls for a massive acceleration through an SDG Stimulus, reforming the global financial architecture, and taking meaningful action for countries drowning in debt.
This must include focused action to conquer the most widespread human rights abuse in history — inequality for women and girls.
The Pact calls for investing in battling all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, and ensuring their meaningful participation and leadership across all walks of life.
And along with the Declaration on Future Generations, the Pact calls for supporting the rights and futures of young people through decent work, removing barriers for youth participation, and enhancing training.
And the Global Digital Compact calls on nations to champion young innovators, nurture entrepreneurial spirit, and equip the next generation with digital literacy and skills.
Third — the Pact for the Future recognizes that the rule of law and human rights go hand-in-hand.
The rule of law, when founded on human rights, is an essential pillar of protection.
It shields the most vulnerable.
It's the first line of defense against crime and corruption.
It supports fair, just and inclusive economies and societies.
It holds perpetrators of human rights atrocities to account.
It enables civic space for people to make their voices heard — and for journalists to carry out their essential work, free from interference or threats.
And it reaffirms the world's commitment to equal access to justice, good governance, and transparent and accountable institutions.
Fourth — human rights through climate action.
Last year was the hottest on record — capping the hottest decade on record.
Rising heat, melting glaciers and hotter oceans are a recipe for disaster.
Floods, droughts, deadly storms, hunger, mass displacement — our war on nature is also a war on human rights.
We must choose a different path.
I salute the many Member States who legally recognize the right to a healthy environment — and I call on all countries to do the same.
Governments must keep their promise to produce new, economy-wide national climate action plans this year, well ahead of COP30 in Brazil.
Those plans must limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees — including by accelerating the global energy transition.
We also need a surge in finance for climate action in developing countries, to adapt to global heating, slash emissions and accelerate the renewables revolution, which represents a massive economic opportunity.
We must stand up to the misleading campaign of many in the fossil fuel industry and its enablers who are aiding and abetting this madness, while also protecting and defending those on the front lines of climate justice.
And fifth — human rights through stronger, better governance of technology.
As fast-moving technologies expand into every aspect of our lives, I am deeply concerned about human rights being undermined.
At its best, social media is a meeting ground for people to exchange ideas and spark respectful debate.
But it can also be an arena of fiery combat and blatant ignorance.
A place where the poisons of misinformation, disinformation, racism, misogyny and hate speech are not only tolerated — but often encouraged.
Verbal violence online can easily spill into physical violence in real life.
Recent rollbacks on social media fact-checking and content moderation are re-opening the floodgates to more hate, more threats, and more violence.
Make no mistake.
These rollbacks will lead to less free speech, not more, as people become increasingly fearful to engage on these platforms.
Meanwhile, the great promise of Artificial Intelligence is matched by limitless peril to undermine human autonomy, human identity, human control — and yes, human rights.
In the face of these threats, the Global Digital Compact brings the world together to ensure that human rights are not sacrificed on the altar of technology.
This includes working with digital companies and policymakers to extend human rights to every corner of cyberspace — including a new focus on information integrity across digital platforms.
The Global Principles for Information Integrity I launched last year will support and inform this work as we push for a more humane information ecosystem.
The Global Digital Compact also includes the first universal agreement on the governance of AI that brings every country to the table and commitments on capacity-building, so all countries and people benefit from AI's potential.
By investing in affordable internet, digital literacy, and infrastructure.
By helping developing countries use AI to grow small businesses, improve public services, and connect communities to new markets.
And by placing human rights at the centre of AI-driven systems.
The Pact's decisions to create an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and an ongoing Global Dialogue that ensure all countries have a voice in shaping its future are important steps forward. We must implement them.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
We can help end the suffocation of human rights by breathing life into the Pact for the Future and the work of this Council.
Let's do that together. We don't have a moment to lose.
And I thank you.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
