By The European Times | Created at 2026-10-15 08:22:46 | Updated at 2026-10-15 19:42:38
20 hours ago
With some 60 conflicts raging worldwide — the highest number since the Second World War — the United Nations human rights chief warned the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today that civilians face mounting violence, shrinking freedoms and new threats from artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons.
Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, painted a grim picture of a world “shaken by war, polarization, climate chaos and rapid technological change”, warning that respect for international human rights law is eroding. From the Russian Federation’s war in Ukraine and the expanding conflict in Sudan to the conflict between the United States and Iran, civilians are suffering on every front. Palestinian civilians continue to be killed despite the ceasefire, while over 1million Rohingya refugees remain unable to return to war-torn Myanmar.
Yet, he rejected the notion that democratic backsliding and growing repression are inevitable. “History shows otherwise; people have repeatedly resisted oppression, exposed injustice and organized around universal values”, he declared, adding:“Human rights provide solutions.”
Sounding the alarm over drones and autonomous lethal weapons, he warned: “These are creating a new circle of hell for civilians around the world.” States must ensure compliance with international human rights law and establish an artificial intelligence governance system “before it is too late”, he asserted.
Human rights also serve as an early warning system, he said, pointing to his Office’s work protecting and relocating over 200 threatened human rights defenders and their family members in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2026. Since 2021, the Office has influenced nearly 200 legislative reforms across 72 countries, including efforts to combat discrimination and strengthen the rule of law.
As civic space shrinks, authorities increasingly respond to legitimate grievances with repression, arbitrary detention, surveillance and excessive force, he warned. Rejecting claims by some countries to “exceptional status” to human rights, he declared: “The law is not an optional extra, but a fundamental guarantee of justice and security.”
Underscoring the need for stronger political and financial support, he said: “Human rights work is low-cost and high-impact, helping to stabilize communities and build trust in institutions.”
‘Every Empty Promise Diminishes Trust’
Earlier, Khalilur Rahman (Bangladesh), President of the General Assembly, urged the Committee to judge its success by tangible improvements in people’s lives — whether girls can attend school instead of being forced into marriage, journalists can work without fear and refugees are treated with dignity.
“In this Committee, as in other Committees, trust will be earned when commitments agreed in New York are implemented back at home,” he stressed.
Calling for predictable financing, protected social spending and stronger domestic resource mobilization, he warned: “Ambition without means becomes an empty promise.”Every empty promise diminishes trust, he added.
New technologies must “advance rights rather than erode them”, he continued, urging safeguards for privacy, transparency and effective redress mechanisms for children and marginalized groups who are at greater risk of discrimination or exclusion. The digital divide must not become a human rights divide within nations and among nations, he asserted.
He also called for modernizing the Committee’s working methods, questioning whether every resolution requires annual negotiation and urging shorter, more analytical reports. “We should stop working in silos”, he declared, stressing that the Organization’s work must form an integrated whole.
‘Human Rights Bind Us All’ amid Accusations of Double Standards
In the ensuing interactive dialogue, delegates sharply disagreed over the impartiality of United Nations human rights mechanisms, with several condemning double standards and the politicization of human rights.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s representative said human rights are exploited to interfere in other States’ internal affairs.China’s delegate similarly warned that “a certain country is exploiting its might to challenge justice and fairness”, defending countries’ independent choice of human rights development suited to their national conditions. Mali’s speaker criticized the exploitation of human rights issues and urged “sane dialogue”.
By contrast, Denmark’s representative, speaking for the Nordic-Baltic countries, stated that the Office’s “field presence and its independent monitoring and public reporting are indispensable”. Such work establishes facts, supports accountability and helps States translate recommendations into concrete improvements, she emphasized.
Syria’s delegate welcomed the OHCHR’s role in documenting abuses and strengthening civil society following the “horrific period under the former regime of systematic human rights abuses”. Mr.Türk’s 2025 visit led to the Office’s first presence in Syria, he noted, praising its cooperation on transitional justice, missing persons and security reform. He also raised Israeli violations in southern Syria, including kidnappings.
Israel’s representative accused the Office of spreading disinformation and serving as “the epicentre of a campaign to demonize and delegitimize Israel”. He underscored that its reporting echoes Hamas propaganda and fuels antisemitism, while questioning the renewal of the High Commissioner’s mandate.
Egypt’s delegate countered that “the plight of the Palestinian people and the gross systematic violations in Gaza and the West Bank, including due to settlers’ violence […] must never be dealt with as the new normal”.He pressed for stronger monitoring and documentation to ensure accountability.
Wars, Drones and Civilian Suffering
Ukraine’s representative reported that Russian forces had launched 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 strike drones against energy and critical infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv last night. Another wave of drones was already under way, he said, condemning Moscow’s documented use of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners in occupied territories.
The Russian Federation’s delegate challenged the Office’s methodology and rejected its findings concerning sexual violence by Russian forces, accusing United Nations human rights monitors in Ukraine of lacking objectivity.
Sudan’s representative accused the Rapid Support Forces of receiving advanced weapons from a regional State, citing a suicide-drone attack on El Obeid five days earlier. Welcoming international scrutiny of the conflict, he urged the United Kingdom to press its regional ally to stop supplying weapons to the militia.
Bahrain’s representative, speaking for the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemned Iranian missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure. Rejecting the accusations as “baseless”, Iran’s delegate warned that if neighbouring territories were used to launch attacks against his country, “our response will be unlike anything you have ever seen before”.
Protecting Rights in the Digital Age
The European Union’s observer stressed that “the same rights that apply offline must also be respected, protected and fulfilled online”.Poland’s representative urged effective oversight of artificial intelligence used by public authorities, insisting that decisions affecting social benefits, public services and access to justice remain transparent and subject to remedies.
The Republic of Korea’s delegate welcomed the High Commissioner’s open letter to States and technology companies for urgent action on risks throughout the artificial intelligence lifecycle.
Funding Shortfalls Threaten Human Rights Protection
Several delegates warned that chronic underfunding threatens the credibility and effectiveness of the United Nations human rights system.Brazil’s representative urged greater resources for human rights protection and combating racial discrimination, warning that when technical assistance receives less than 10percent of funding, “we fail the most vulnerable”. Malaysia and Romania likewise called for adequate, predictable support.
Belarus’s representative, however, criticized the Office’s spending and working methods, accusing it of double standards and duplication.
Namibia’s representative, speaking for the African Group, stressed that human rights cannot be separated from economic justice.“The realization of human rights cannot be separated from the eradication of poverty”, he declared, underscoring the right to development.
Pakistan’s delegate, meanwhile, sounded the alarm over rising Islamophobia, calling for stronger monitoring and concrete measures to combat discrimination.
