United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a new international security framework to respond to a rapidly changing world. Speaking at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s annual session in Geneva, he said the international order that has defined global security for nearly eight decades is under serious strain.
“We are living through a period of chaos and change,” Guterres said. He stressed that the world needs a renewed international security architecture based on careful and sober analysis of current global conditions.
Guterres warned that human rights are under a “full-scale attack worldwide.” He said the rule of law is being replaced by the rule of force. “This assault is happening in plain sight,” he added, “and often it is led by those holding the greatest power.”
He did not mention every conflict explicitly but expressed deep concern over Russia’s war in Ukraine. According to Guterres, over 15,000 civilians have been killed in the fighting over the past four years. “It is more than past time to end the bloodshed,” he said.
The UN chief also criticized violations of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories. He warned that the two-state solution is being undermined deliberately. “The international community cannot allow this to happen,” Guterres said, describing the situation as “stark, clear, and purposeful.”
Guterres emphasized that the erosion of rights is not limited to conflict zones. He said the world is seeing mass suffering excused away, people treated as bargaining chips, and international law dismissed as a minor inconvenience.
Echoing these concerns, UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned that domination and supremacy are reemerging globally. He described a fierce competition for power, control, and resources at a scale not seen in 80 years.
Turk added that the use of force to settle disputes both between and within countries is increasingly normalized. He criticized leaders, without naming them, who act as if they are above international law and the UN Charter. “They claim exceptional status, exceptional danger, or exceptional moral authority to pursue their agenda at any cost,” he said.
Both Guterres and Turk stressed that the global community must unite to defend human rights and create a strong counterbalance to growing autocratic trends. They called for international cooperation to ensure accountability, protect the vulnerable, and restore respect for law and human dignity.
Guterres concluded by highlighting the urgent need for a modernized security framework capable of addressing global challenges. He urged nations to work together to uphold human rights, protect civilians, and stabilize a world facing escalating conflicts and rising authoritarianism.
