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Info Service on UN Sustainable Development (Dec25/02) Penang, 11 Dec (Kanaga Raja) — The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on 10 December said that human rights were under-funded, undermined and under attack, yet human rights activism remains powerful, undeterred and mobilizing. Speaking at a media briefing at the United Nations Office at Geneva on the occasion of UN Human Rights Day, he said that this year has no doubt been a difficult one, and one full of dangerous contradictions. The human rights chief warned that global human rights protections are being severely eroded, with funding cuts, rising anti-rights movements, soaring arms industry profits and shrinking humanitarian resources creating a stark imbalance, even as human rights defenders are facing reprisals. Despite these troubling trends, Mr. Turk stressed that a growing wave of human rights activism is pushing back, offering a vital counter-force in an otherwise bleak landscape. “Funding for human rights has been slashed, while anti-rights movements are increasingly well-funded. Profits for the arms industry are soaring, while funding for humanitarian aid and grassroots civil society plummets,” the High Commissioner told journalists at the media briefing. Those defending rights and justice are attacked, sanctioned and hauled before courts, even as those ordering the commission of atrocity crimes continue to enjoy impunity, he added. Diversity, equity and inclusion policies that were adopted to address historical and structural injustices are being vilified as unjust, said Mr. Turk. The prognosis would be incredibly dire if these were the only trends. But the pushback on human rights is facing pushback from a groundswell of human rights activism, he underlined. The High Commissioner said in countries like Nepal, Serbia, Madagascar, Kenya, Bangladesh, Ecuador, the Philippines and Peru, mostly young people have taken to the streets and to social media against inequalities, against corruption or repression, in favour of freedom of expression, and for their everyday essentials, and in particular their rights. “People across the world have also been protesting against war and injustice, and demanding climate action, in places far from home, expressing solidarity and pressuring their governments to take action.” In this regard, the human rights chief urged governments around the world to harness the energy of these social movements into opportunities for broader transformational reforms rather than rushing to suppress them or label them as extremist threats to national security. They are, in fact, the exact opposite of threats to national security. The High Commissioner went on to elaborate on the challenges that he had described earlier. Highlighting the issue of funding, Mr. Turk said: “Our resources have been slashed, along with funding for human rights organisations – including at the grassroots level – around the world. We are in survival mode.” “I was in Brussels yesterday during a meeting with human rights defenders and all of them – all the human rights defenders from around the world – told me how dire their situation is,” he added. He said that his Office “has had about USD 90 million less than we needed this year, which means around 300 jobs have been lost, and essential work has had to be cut, including in our operations in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Tunisia and other countries at a time when the needs are rising.” The High Commissioner also said Special Rapporteur country visits and investigative missions by fact-finding bodies have also been reduced, sometimes drastically. “Crucial dialogues with States on their compliance with UN human rights treaties have had to be postponed – last year there were 145 State party reviews, we are down to 103 this year, and this has consequences.” “They may not be seen immediately but they are going to be felt. We see that all this has extensive ripple effects on international and national efforts to protect human rights,” Mr. Turk underlined. Meanwhile, he said that anti-rights and anti-gender movements are increasingly coordinated and well-funded, operating across borders. According to the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, for example, almost USD 1.2 billion was mobilized by anti-rights groups in Europe between 2019 and 2023. There is significant money flowing into the anti-rights agenda from funders based in Europe, Russia and the United States of America, the rights chief pointed out. “Such massive funding, coupled with media capture and disinformation strategies have made the anti-rights agenda a powerful cross-regional force.” The High Commissioner pointed to another distressing dataset from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s latest report, which found that arms and military services revenues for the 100 largest arms companies reached a record USD 679 billion in 2024. SIPRI has said demand was boosted by wars in Ukraine and Gaza, by global and regional geopolitical tensions, and ever-higher military expenditure. There have been efforts this year to secure ceasefires and peace deals, which are certainly welcome. However, for peace to be sustainable, human rights must play a central role, Mr. Turk emphasized. There is a human rights imperative that needs to feed into any ceasefire and peace negotiation, from prevention to negotiation to monitoring to accountability, recovery and peace building, he said. Calling for a “reality check”, he said “in Gaza and in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and now, as we have just seen over the last couple of days between Thailand and Cambodia, agreements have yet to translate into effective protection of civilians on the ground.” He said Gaza remains “a place of unimaginable suffering, loss and fear. While the bloodshed has reduced, it has not stopped.” Meanwhile, he said clashes between the DRC armed forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group continue, alongside serious human rights violations and abuses, with civilians again bearing the brunt. “In Sudan, the brutal conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces continues unabated. From Darfur and the Kordofans to Khartoum and Omdurman and beyond, no Sudanese civilian has been left untouched by the cruel and senseless violence.” “I’m extremely worried, and I say it again, that we may see a repeat of the atrocities committed in Al Fasher in Kordofan,” Mr. Turk said. He said in Ukraine, civilian harm has risen sharply. Civilian casualties so far this year are 24 per cent higher than the same period last year, largely due to Russia’s increased use of powerful long-range weapons in large numbers and its continuing efforts across the broad front to capture further Ukrainian territory by armed force. “Large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy system have caused emergency outages and prolonged daily electricity cuts, disruptions to water and heating services in many areas.” Mr. Turk called for urgent steps to be taken to alleviate suffering, including the return of transferred children, the exchange of all prisoners of war, and the unconditional release of civilian detainees held by Russian authorities. He said for any sustainable peace to be negotiated, it is important that confidence-building measures are taken, grounded in human rights, including steps to alleviate civilian suffering, promote accountability and preserve a basis for future dialogue, and importantly, women need to be a part of this process. It is imperative that peace deals and ceasefires are secured and implemented in good faith and with full respect for international law, which can never be set aside for political convenience, the High Commissioner stressed. “It is also critical to counter the demonization of and hate-mongering rhetoric against migrants and refugees.” “In various countries, worryingly, we are seeing violent pushbacks, large-scale raids, arrest and returns without due process, criminalization of migrants and refugees and those who support them, as well as the outsourcing of responsibilities under international law,” said Mr. Turk. In this context, he urged States to embark on an evidence-based policy debate on migration and refugee issues that are anchored in international human rights and refugee law. “In the course of many electoral campaigns this year, we have also seen a pattern of democratic backsliding, restrictive civic space and electoral violence.” In this regard, he said that Myanmar’s upcoming military-imposed “election” is accompanied by new waves of acute insecurity and violence, continued arrests and detentions of opponents, voter coercion, the use of extensive electronic surveillance tools and systemic discrimination. “I fear this process will only further deepen insecurity, fear and polarization throughout the country,” he warned. The High Commissioner said while there is never a shortage of human rights challenges to face, issues to resolve, and values to defend, “what is heartening is that there are so many of us, around the world, attached to the same universal human rights values – no matter the noise, the gaslighting, and the persistent injustices.” He said that he is energised by the people he met across the world, including those who participate in social movements, particularly the ones who are led by young people. According to Mr. Turk, “they are writing the latest chapters in the time-honoured struggle for our collective humanity and dignity. Journalists, activists, and human rights defenders have been at the forefront of the global movement for freedom, equality and justice.” “Such perseverance has achieved landmark victories for the rights of women, migrants, people discriminated against on the basis of descent, minorities, our environment, and so much more,” he said, adding that “we will continue to persevere.” JOINT STATEMENT Meanwhile, ahead of UN Human Rights Day, over eighty UN experts issued a joint statement on 9 December renewing their unwavering dedication to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Amid rising authoritarianism, deepening polarization, growing intolerance, and mounting pressures on the multilateral system, Human Rights Day offers a vital moment to reaffirm our shared commitment to universal human rights,” the UN experts said. They emphasized the urgent need for a strong, independent, and properly resourced human rights system – one capable of safeguarding dignity, justice, and equality for all. The joint statement was issued by UN Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts covering various mandates, as well as members of Working Groups, including the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, the Working Group on arbitrary detention, the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances, the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, the Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, and the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination. Collectively, they comprise the Special Procedures mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council. “Standing firmly by the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, even as the multilateral order and the global human rights ecosystem face an unprecedented and existential threat, we recommit to upholding our independence as a human rights mechanism and responding to the calls and expectations of victims, survivors and all those in need,” the UN experts said in a separate media statement issued on 9 December. “We will continue to call for the full implementation of human rights standards and provide dedicated technical advice, grounding our work in the principles of international human rights law. We endeavour to keep promoting positive change in people’s lives by discharging our prevention and protection mandates.” They also said that they will remain steadfast in their advocacy for stronger protection of human rights, the rule of law and democratic processes around the world, and will continue to proclaim inconvenient truths. The UN experts noted that over the decades, UN leaders have repeatedly affirmed the system’s significance and power. In 2006, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed Special Procedures as the “crown jewel” of the international human rights system. They said his successor, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, described Special Procedures experts as the Council’s indispensable “eyes and ears,” essential for exposing violations and insisted that they must be allowed to work unhindered. Former High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour famously characterised Special Procedures as the UN’s frontline human rights defenders – the system’s early warning and protection mechanism in action. This mechanism has grown into a dynamic system, with committed independent experts working pro bono on a vast range of thematic and country situations, said the UN experts. “Special Procedures mandate holders have carried out their duties with courage, impartiality and unwavering dedication – often at great personal cost – at a time when many human rights voices are being intimidated into silence. Their impact has reverberated despite severely limited capacity and resources.” They emphasized that as the United Nations and the Human Rights Council undergo critical moments of reform and reflection, these processes must create more, not fewer spaces for dialogue. Pointing out that human rights protection is indispensable for peace, security and sustainable development, the UN experts called on the Member States to resist all attempts to dilute or sideline the Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures system. “States and all relevant actors must act now to protect and reinforce Special Procedures as an indispensable pillar through which human rights concerns are heard. As independent voices, we are able to defend all human rights, everywhere, even in the face of personal attacks, threats and sanctions,” they said. On Human Rights Day, the UN experts “pledged to victims across the world that we will remain your voices and your advocates – even when it seems that the world has turned away.” +
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