Human rights are under assault worldwide, the United Nations chief warned ⁠on Monday, citing widespread abuses of international law and devastating civilian suffering in conflicts in Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine.

"The rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force," said UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, speaking at ⁠the opening of the Human Rights Council ⁠in Geneva.

The UN chief stressed that "this assault is not coming from the shadows, or by surprise. It is happening in plain sight – and often led by those who hold the greatest power".

Human rights are being pushed back deliberately, Guterres said, urging member states not to view international human rights as a menu to pick from.

Guterres also highlighted the "blatant violations of human rights, human dignity and international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory".

He charged that the trajectory in the conflict-torn territories under Israeli occupation was "stark, clear and purposeful: the two-state solution is being stripped away in broad daylight".

"The international community cannot allow it to happen," he insisted.

Guterres strongly defended the UN human rights system which is in "survival mode" because of funding cuts, attacks on some of its experts and the US withdrawal from one of its key universal rights accountability mechanisms.

"Humanitarian needs are exploding while funding collapses," he said.

The UN human rights office, like other parts of the organisation, faces a budget crunch following the decision to cut funding by the United States – the top donor to the UN – as well as other governments.

Washington in February paid about US$160 million of the more than US$4 billion it owed to the ⁠UN, a United Nations spokesperson said on Thursday. (Reuters)


Edited by Tony Sabine