UN Human Rights High commissioner Volker Türk Human Rights Day press conference

“Human rights: Underfunded. Undermined. Under attack. And yet. Powerful. Undeterred. Mobilising,” he said at a press conference in Geneva on Human Rights Day. “This year has been a difficult one. And one full of dangerous contradictions,” he added.

“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,” Türk said.

“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,” the High Commissioner said. “Diversity, equity and inclusion policies that were adopted to address historical and structural injustices are being vilified as unjust.”

“But the pushback on human rights is facing pushback from a groundswell of human rights activism,” he told reporters. “In Nepal, Serbia, Madagascar, Kenya, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Paraguay, the Philippines, Indonesia, Tanzania, Morocco, Peru and beyond, 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 particularly 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.”

“I urge 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,” Türk added. “They are, in fact, the exact opposite of threats to national security.”

He said the resources available for his Office have been slashed, along with funding for human rights organisations around the world.

“We are in survival mode,” the High Commissioner said. “My 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.”

Meanwhile, Türk said, anti-rights and anti-gender movements were increasingly coordinated and well-funded and 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. Such massive funding, coupled with media capture and disinformation strategies, have made the anti-rights agenda a powerful cross-regional force,” he told reporters.

More resources have been spent on arms, too. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says 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.

“It is imperative that peace deals and ceasefires are secured and implemented in good faith,” the High Commissioner said. “And with full respect for international law, which can never be set aside for political convenience.”

“It is also critical to counter the demonisation of, and hatemongering rhetoric, against migrants and refugees,” Türk added. “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.”

The UN Human Rights Chief also urged States to embark on an evidence-based policy debate on migration and refugee issues, anchored in international human rights and refugee law.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact:

In Geneva

Ravina Shamdasani: +41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org

Jeremy Laurence: +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org

Marta Hurtado: +41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org

Thameen Al-Kheetan: + 41 22 917 4232 / thameen.alkheetan@un.org

In Nairobi

Seif Magango : +254 78834 3897 / seif.magango@un.org

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