With a flaming appeal, UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened the session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, the agreement is now “under attack” and “exploited and ignored for political purposes,” he says. Guterres asks the world to oppose it.
In his speech, the UN chief calls on governments and people, in general, to “revive” the Declaration to “meet the challenges of today and tomorrow”. He believes the world is moving backwards instead of forwards because of all the conflicts: poverty and hunger are increasing, while social cohesion and confidence are weakening as the gap between rich and poor widens.
The UN Human Rights Council encounters three times a year to evaluate the human rights situation in the world. But in some of the 47 Member States, they are not fully respected. For example, Cuba, China and Eritrea repeatedly dismiss criticism of their dubious respect for the agreement as interference in internal affairs.