UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a stark warning at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s annual session in Geneva, stating that the global security order is shifting into a period of dangerous chaos. Guterres argued that the international framework that defined security for nearly eight decades is being dismantled by the “rule of force.” He noted that human rights are currently under a “full-scale attack” worldwide, led often by those with the greatest power who treat international law as a mere inconvenience.
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The Secretary-General highlighted specific crises, voicing outrage over the ongoing bloodshed in Ukraine and “blatant violations” in the occupied Palestinian territory. He warned that the two-state solution is being “stripped away in broad daylight” and urged the international community to prevent its total collapse. UN rights chief Volker Turk echoed these sentiments, warning that the world is seeing a resurgence of “domination and supremacy” at an intensity unseen in 80 years, with leaders increasingly using force to resolve disputes.
“This crisis of respect for human rights does not stand alone.
It mirrors and magnifies every other global fracture.” – @antonioguterres at the opening of #HRC61 at @UNGeneva pic.twitter.com/nWVBVUKRyG
— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) February 23, 2026
To combat these trends, Guterres called for a “renewed international security architecture” based on a sober analysis of current global dynamics rather than outdated models. He emphasized that the erosion of rights is happening in plain sight and requested that nations band together to counterbalance autocratic trends. As economic leverage is increasingly weaponized by world powers, the UN leadership insists that the protection of human dignity must be returned to the center of global diplomacy.
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