UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a stark warning on Monday, declaring that human rights worldwide are being “suffocated” by war, violence, and oppressive regimes.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Guterres stressed that “human rights are the oxygen of humanity,” but they are being systematically choked by autocrats, patriarchy, and warmongers.
He condemned leaders who stifle opposition out of fear, while patriarchal systems deny girls education and women basic rights.
Guterres also called out the disregard for international laws by warmongers, whose conflicts deprive millions of their basic needs like food, water, and education.
Guterres pointed to a “morally bankrupt” global financial system and unchecked technologies, like artificial intelligence, as new threats to human dignity.
He also decried rising intolerance against marginalized groups Indigenous peoples, migrants, LGBTQI+ communities, and persons with disabilities—calling out the forces of division that view human rights as obstacles to power and profit.
“This is a direct assault on the progress we’ve made over the last 80 years to protect and advance human rights,” Guterres warned, urging the global community to act before these hard-won gains are undone.
