UN chief says human rights are being suffocated by autocrats and warmongers

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres says human rights are being “suffocated” around the world, lashing out at voices of division and anger who see them as a barrier to their quest for power and profit.

In a speech to the Human Rights Council, Mr Guterres condemned Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine that marked its third anniversary on Monday, appealed for a permanent ceasefire between Palestinian militants and Israel, and urged respect for Congo’s territorial integrity, among other things.

While reiterating many of his concerns about conflict and climate change, the UN chief said he would propose new ideas to the Security Council aimed to bring greater stability and security for the people of Haiti, where a multi-national security support mission has been deployed.

Monday marks three years since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in clear violation of the @UN Charter and international law.

On this tragic occasion, I reaffirm the urgent need for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace – one that fully…

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) February 23, 2025

Mr Guterres depicted a world where human rights were “on the ropes and being pummelled hard” by warmongers, a “morally bankrupt global financial system” that favours profits over planet protections, those who might exploit artificial intelligence to harm people, and leaders who seek to demonise migrants or restrict women’s rights.

Human rights, he said, “are being suffocated by autocrats, crushing opposition because they fear what the truly empowered people would do,” and “by voices of division and anger who view human rights not as a boon to humanity, but as a barrier to the power, profit and control they seek”.

Three weeks ago, US president Donald Trump announced a US pullout from the council, though the Biden administration had already decided the United States would not seek a seat on the 47-member-country body when its latest three-year term expired at the end of last year.

The council meets three times a year and the session that opened on Monday is set to run until April 4.