UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. Volker Türk: the past year has been difficult for human rights Human Rights
Human rights are under attack around the world. This was stated by UN chief human rights activist Volker Türk on Human Rights Day, which is celebrated on December 10.
Türk noted that the past year “has been difficult” – against the backdrop of reduced funding for human rights activities, anti-legal movements are receiving more and more resources and increasing their influence.
Energy of social movements – potential for transformation
According to him, the profits of the defense industry are growing rapidly, while funding for humanitarian aid and civil society organizations society is shrinking. Revenues of the top 100 defense companies hit a record $679 billion in 2024.
Human rights defenders around the world are under attack, face sanctions and prosecution, while those who order the crimes go unpunished.
Despite these trends, Türk said, in many countries – from Nepal and Serbia to Ecuador, Tanzania, Indonesia, Morocco and Peru – young people are taking to the streets and becoming active in on social media, speaking out against war, inequality, corruption and repression.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on governments to “harness the energy of social movements” as potential for transformation, rather than repress them.
“I call on governments around the world to harness the energy of these social movements to create opportunities for broader transformative reforms, not rush to suppress them or call them extremism and threats to national security,” Turk said.
He said that the UN Human Rights Office, which he heads, was shortfall by about $90 million this year, which led to the loss of 300 jobs and cuts to key programs, including those related to Colombia, Myanmar, Tunisia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Such organizations receive funding from donors in Europe, Russia and the USA. In Europe alone, they mobilized almost $1.2 billion between 2019 and 2023, according to the European Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights.
Humanitarian Impact of Conflicts
Turk paid special attention to the humanitarian consequences of conflicts. In Gaza, he said, attacks continue, essential services continue to be lacking, and the West Bank has seen an unprecedented level of attacks from Israeli forces and settlers. the entire population has suffered as a result of the conflict between the country’s armed forces and the Rapid Reaction Forces.
Referring to Ukraine, Türk said that the number of civilian casualties has increased by 24 percent compared to last year due to Russia’s intensive use of long-range weapons and ongoing attempts to seize additional territory.
“Large attacks on Ukraine’s energy system has led to emergency as well as long daily power outages, interruptions in water supply and heating in many areas,” Turk said. he.
Concluding his speech, the High Commissioner noted that despite all the difficulties, the global movement in support of human rights does not weaken. He expressed confidence that journalists, human rights activists and youth initiatives will continue to make progress.