Human Rights Council Warns: “Doing Right Is Not a Spectator Sport”

The Human Rights Council meets in Geneva. On Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed to the international community not to let the erosion of human rights become the accepted price of political expediency or geopolitical competition.

In Geneva, delegates from more than 120 countries gathered on Monday to mark 20 years of the UN Human Rights Council and reaffirm a shared commitment to international law amid growing global instability, wars, and resurgent conflict.

Acknowledging dizzying geopolitical uncertainty, marked by conflicts in Gaza, Myanmar, Ukraine, Sudan, and beyond, Secretary-General António Guterres urged the Council to defend human rights, warning they were under a “full-scale attack…often led by those who hold the greatest power.”

On Ukraine, specifically, the UN chief noted that Tuesday, 24 February, will mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, which has killed more than 15,000 civilians. “It is more than past time to end the bloodshed,” he said, echoing the comments of UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who stressed that rights and justice must be central to any ceasefire or peace agreement.

‘Silence has consequences’

Echoing these concerns, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said human rights were “not a spectator sport” for Council members, ambassadors, ministers, or UN officials, noting that “silence is a choice…and it has consequences.”

“History teaches us that large systems rarely collapse in one dramatic moment; they erode slowly, rule by rule, commitment by commitment, with those who should defend them often remaining silent. Until one day, what seemed permanent simply vanishes,” she added.

In her opening remarks, she highlighted the plight of Afghan women, who, under a new Taliban edict, can reportedly be beaten by their husbands, provided no visible marks remain.

“We must remember that appeasement in the face of severe human rights violations never prevails,” she said. “We are witnessing not only a dramatic backlash against women’s rights but also violations of human rights and other standards once believed immutable, now openly questioned or dismissed.”

Ukrainian children spotlight

The General Assembly President also called for “a clear commitment from every Member State that the abduction of Ukrainian children is a war crime,” referencing children separated from families since 2014, including those transferred within occupied Ukrainian territory or deported to Russia.

Two-State solution under threat

On the occupied West Bank, where Israeli settler expansion continues, Mr. Guterres warned that the two-State solution was being “stripped away in broad daylight,” insisting the international community cannot allow it to happen.

Amid multiplying conflicts, he said human rights violations persist because governments often ignore fundamental rights enshrined in international law, even as humanitarian needs “explode” and funding collapses.

Inconvenient truths

“We live in a world where mass suffering is excused, where humans are used as bargaining chips, and where international law is treated as a mere inconvenience,” he said.

In his last speech to the Council before his second five-year term ends on 31 December, Mr. Guterres reiterated concerns about insecurity and inequality, noting that migrants are often “harassed, arrested, and expelled,” refugees scapegoated, and LGBTIQ+ communities vilified.

“Countries are drowning in debt and despair, climate chaos is accelerating,” he said, especially for small and vulnerable nations starved of adequate investment.

AI faultlines

He warned that technology, particularly artificial intelligence, is increasingly used to “suppress rights, deepen inequality, and expose marginalized people to new forms of discrimination online and offline,” calling for renewed commitment to the values of multilateral solidarity enshrined in the UN Charter.

“Human rights are not West or East, North or South; they are not a luxury, they are not negotiable. They are the foundation of a more peaceful and secure world, and States are bound by their obligations under the Charter and international law.”

Expanding on this, UN rights chief Volker Türk said violations of international law must be called out “regardless of the perpetrators,” especially as some governments weaken the multilateral system. He announced the upcoming launch of his Office’s Global Alliance for Human Rights, which will bring together States, businesses, cities, philanthropists, scientists, artists, philosophers, young people, and civil society.

“Our future depends on our joint commitment to defend every person’s rights, every time, everywhere,” Mr. Türk concluded.