GENEVA, March 3 (KUNA) -- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk sounded the alarm about turbulence and unpredictability the world is facing, which is reflected in "growing conflict and divided societies." Presenting his report to the 58th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) on Monday, Turk said the international community has come through "many setbacks and periods of geopolitical turmoil since the founding of the United Nations." "But what we are experiencing goes to the very core of the international order - an order that has brought us an unprecedented level of global stability. "We cannot allow the fundamental global consensus around international norms and institutions, built painstakingly over decades, to crumble before our eyes," Turk pointed out.
"According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, 120 conflicts rage around the world. War is the ultimate violation of human rights.
"It is outrageous that across these conflicts, the legal frameworks designed to safeguard civilians, limit damage, and ensure justice are dismissed and discarded, blatantly and repeatedly.
"Civilians are deliberately attacked. Sexual violence and famine are used as weapons of war. "Humanitarian access is denied, while weapons flow across borders and circumvent international sanctions. "And humanitarian workers are targeted. In 2024, a record 356 humanitarian workers were killed while providing aid to people in some of the world's most appalling crises," he regretted.
"As I briefed last week, the conflict in Sudan threatens to explode across the region. "Parties to the conflict and their allies continue to launch devastating attacks on densely populated areas and civilian infrastructure with total impunity, as the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe deepens. "Civilians are paying an unbearable price, in a naked struggle for power and resources. All countries must use their influence to apply pressure on the parties and their allies, to stop the war, embark on an inclusive dialogue, and transition to a civilian-led Government," Turk pointed out.
On the war in Ukraine, he said "three years since the full-scale Russian invasion, people continue to suffer appallingly." "Civilian casualties rose by 30 percent between 2023 and 2024. Russia's armed forces have systematically targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure with coordinated strikes, severely reducing electricity capacity and causing widespread disruptions to essential services.
"Relentless attacks with aerial glide bombs, long-range missiles, and drones have placed civilians in a state of constant insecurity and fear. In occupied territory, the Russian Federation continues to restrict Ukrainians' fundamental rights and freedoms severely. "I am dismayed by continued reports of summary executions and the widespread and systematic torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces," he said, affirming that "This situation is dire." Dealing with the situation in Gaza Strip, he said, "Israel's means and methods of warfare, in response to the horrific attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on 7 October 2023, have razed the territory and shredded the social and physical fabric." "We must above all make sure the fragile ceasefire in Gaza holds, and becomes the basis for peace. Any solution to the cycles of violence must be rooted in human rights, including the right to self-determination, the rule of law and accountability. "All hostages must be freed; all those detained arbitrarily must be released; and humanitarian aid into Gaza must resume immediately," he stressed.
Regarding the occupied Palestinian West Bank, he expressed alarm by "the use of military weapons and tactics (by the Israeli occupation forces), including tanks and airstrikes, against Palestinians; the destruction and emptying of refugee camps; the expansion of illegal settlements; the severe restrictions on movement; and the displacement of tens of thousands of people." "Israel's unilateral actions and threats of annexation in the West Bank, in violation of international law, must stop," the UN human rights chief urged. (more) amk.gb