On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, held a press conference at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva.
Reflecting on the past year, Türk highlighted three key issues with significant ramifications for human rights worldwide.
Firstly, he addressed the proliferation of armed conflicts, the erosion of respect for international law in warfare, and the apparent indifference of the powerful to the immense human suffering and casualties.
Secondly, he pointed out the growing disconnect between reality and fiction. In a year with multiple elections, the world witnessed extensive political distraction tactics, including refined techniques of emotional manipulation known as “gaslighting,” and the dangerous spread of disinformation.
Thirdly, he emphasized how media focus on war and disinformation has simultaneously distracted attention from some of the greatest challenges to long-term security: the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, as well as the massive inequalities in the world.
At the start of his address, the High Commissioner noted that we live in a time when “human rights are not only violated but increasingly instrumentalized.”
This warning had already been raised thirty years ago by the humanist writer Silo in his “Letters to My Friends,” where he stated:
“Today, human rights are spoken of with renewed vigor. However, the signs of those waving these flags have changed. The right has taken up those flags and is seen actively defending human rights and peace, especially in countries where they do not fully dominate. Taking advantage of certain international mechanisms, they organize intervention forces capable of reaching any global point to impose ‘justice.’
Silo further remarked:
“Everything is suitably seasoned with tender arguments. We must be cautious because, even if interventions in third countries were made for humanitarian reasons evident to all, they would set precedents for future actions without such clear or humanitarian reasons. It should be noted that due to globalization, the United Nations is playing an increasing military role, posing numerous dangers. Once again, people’s sovereignty and self-determination are being compromised by manipulating the concepts of peace and international solidarity.”
Returning to the UN High Commissioner’s press conference, Türk added that 2024 has been marked by horrendous numbers of people killed or severely injured, both on and off the battlefield.
“The disregard for international law and the apparent indifference to civilian lives and infrastructure have been evident in conflicts such as those in Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Lebanon, as well as in Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar, to name just a few glaring examples,” he stated.
Commenting on the current situation in Syria, he emphasized that the human rights of all Syrians must be central to any transition of power.
“Any political transition must ensure accountability for serious violations and guarantee that perpetrators are held responsible. All evidence must be meticulously collected and preserved for future use. Security apparatus reform will be key. This transition must also address the tragedy of missing persons,” Türk underscored.
The High Commissioner also stressed that the viral spread of disinformation on social platforms and some traditional media outlets—including state-sponsored disinformation campaigns—has been sowing divisions and hatred while discrediting human rights defenders, independent journalism, and international institutions.
He affirmed that, in the face of so many challenges, we cannot lose sight of the profound values and principles underpinning human rights.
“Human rights are not abstract ideas or ideologies. They are about who we are and how we live. They are based on facts, law, and compassion. They embody our needs and our hopes,” he concluded.
Human Rights Day is celebrated globally every December 10 to commemorate one of the most revolutionary global commitments: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This historic document enshrines the inalienable rights of every person as a human being, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political opinion, national or social origin, economic status, birth, or any other condition.
Rights that, in Silo’s words, “are today considered mere aspirations and cannot be fully realized given the established powers. The struggle for fully realizing human rights necessarily leads to questioning current powers, directing action toward replacing them with the powers of a new human society.”
As Silo remarked in his book “Humanize the Earth”:
“Human rights do not have the universal validity we would desire because they do not depend on the universal power of human beings, but on the power of one part over the whole. If the most basic demands regarding the governance of one’s body are trampled in all latitudes, we can only speak of aspirations that must become rights. Human rights do not belong to the past; they are there in the future, drawing intentionality and fueling a struggle that is reignited with every new violation of humanity’s destiny. For this reason, any claim made in their favor makes sense because it shows current powers that they are not omnipotent and do not control the future.”
