Recalling his own experience living under the dictatorship in Portugal, Mr. Guterres told participants in the World Assembly of the International International Rights of Rights that human rights struggle is “more important than ever”.

He called on States to confirm international law and defending human rights “in a coherent and universally, even – or above all – in a case of inconvenience”, urging collective action to restore global confidence, dignity and justice.

‘A moral crisis’

Mr. Guterres painted a striking picture of a world in trouble, citing several crises in progress – above all, the war in Gaza.

While reiterating his condemnation of terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Israel, the secretary general said that “nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction since”.

“” The scale and the scope exceeds everything we have seen lately“He said.

“” I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction that we see too much in the international community. Lack of compassion. Lack of truth. The lack of humanity.“”

UN staff “neither dead nor living”

He described the United Nations staff in Gaza as working under “unimaginable conditions”, many of them have exhausted so much that they “say they do not feel dead or alive”.

Since the end of May, he noted, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by trying to access food-not in combat, but “in despair of despair-while the whole hungry population”.

“” It is not only a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that calls into question global conscience.“”

Ready to increase aid

Mr. Guterres said that the UN was ready to considerably increase humanitarian operations “as we did successfully during the previous break in the fighting”, but called for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire”, the unconditional release of all hostages and full humanitarian access.

“At the same time, we need urgency, concrete and irreversible steps towards a solution to two states,” he said.

He also talked about other conflicts, notably Sudan as well as the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, where he called for a “just and lasting peace” on the basis of the Charter of the United Nationsinternational law and relevant United Nations resolutions.

Increasing authoritarianism

The secretary general warned that authoritarian tactics are on the global scale.

“” We are witnessing an increase in repressive tactics aimed at corroding respect for human rights“He said.And they are contaminates of certain democracies.“”

The political opposition movements are crushed, the mechanisms of liability dismantled, journalists and militants reduced to silence, strangled civic space and the minorities of scapegoat.

The rights of women and girls in particular are being returned-the most clearly, he said, in Afghanistan.

“It is not a series of isolated events. It is a global contagion. “

Weaponry of technology

He decreased the growing armament of digital platforms, claiming that algorithms “stimulate the worst of humanity-rewarding lies, fueling racism and misogyny and deepening of the division”.

He called on governments to maintain the Mondial digital compact Adopted by countries of the United Nations General Assembly last September and to take stronger measures to combat hatred and online disinformation.

Climate justice is human rights

Turning to the climate, Mr. Guterres described the environmental urgency as a “human rights disaster”, ” With the poorest and most vulnerable communities suffering the most.

He welcomed the International Court of Justice (Icj)) Advisory notice this weekAffirming that climate change is a question of human rights and that states have obligations under international law to protect the global climate system.

But he warned against a transition to clean energy that sacrifices human rights.

“We cannot accept a clean energy future built on dirty practices … We cannot accept enormous human rights violations – many of them against children – in the name of climate progress.”

He asked Urgent sections, has just transition from Fossil Fossil And real funding for developing countries to adapt, strengthen resilience and recover from loss and damage.

An activism inheritance

The Secretary General concluded by praising the decades of Amnesty International activism, qualifying his work as “essential” to the World Human Rights Movement.

“” When you defend human rights, you stand with what is right,He told the delegates.

“Your courage continues to change lives. Your persistence changes the course of history. Let’s continue. Let’s go back to this moment with the urgency he demands. And never abandoned.“”

Founded in 1961, Amnesty International is a global movement of human rights that campaigns to end abuse and promote justice. The organization has been working for a long time in collaboration with the United Nations, actively participating in the development of international law of human rights and mechanisms.

The speech of today Guterres is the very first speech by a secretary general of the United Nations in the World Assembly of Amnesty International – the highest decision -making body in the charitable organization. The UN chief met with a video link to the event in Prague.

“The thousands of people who seek to return home are motivated by hope, resilience and a lasting link with their country,” said Othman Belbeisi, regional director of the International Migration Organization (Iom).

Although this development offers hope, many of these people return to states and cities whose resources have been devastated by more than two years of war.

Since the conflict broke out in April 2023, more than 12 million Sudanese have been moved by force, which represents the greatest crisis of travel in the world.

A third of these displaced people have fled to neighboring countries such as Chad and South Sudan, who are increasingly having trouble supporting the influx of refugees.

“Not only do [the returnees] Mark a change of hope but fragile, they also indicate host countries already extended under increasing pressure, “said Mamadou Dian Balde, the regional coordinator of the UN refugee agency, Hcr.

“A race against time”

Iom pointed out that for these yields granted with international law, they must be voluntary and worthy. Most of the 1.3 million Sudanese returnees head to Khartoum, Al Jazirah and the States of Sennar where the impact of the conflict is still very acute.

In Khartoum in particular, many buildings – including Hcr Office – are in ruins and public infrastructure, such as roads and power plants, have been compromised or destroyed.

“Without urgent action, people will return to cities that are in ruins. We are in a race against time to clean the rubble and provide water, energy and health care, “said Abdallah Al Dardair, director Arab states for the United Nations Development Program (Predict).

In addition, Khartoum already houses many displaced internal people and people who had previously sought asylum in Sudan before the war had the war.

Rapatrians are also faced with a danger of unplodced ammunition and high levels of sexual and sexual violence against women and girls. To meet the psychosocial and protection needs of these women and girls, safe spaces have been created in the states of Khartoum and Al Jazirah.

Recovery key

By emphasizing the hope that these yields report, Mr. Belbeisi stressed that returnees must be considered as participants active in the recovery of Sudan designed in conflict.

“People returning home are not passive survivors, they are essential to the restoration of Sudan. Yes, the humanitarian situation is disastrous, but with the right support, returnees can revive local economies, restore community life and promote hope where it is most necessary, “he said.

However, humanitarian work in Sudan and around Sudan is considerably sub-financed-only 23% of $ 4.2 billion estimated for next year have been received, which means that services that save lives may have to be reduced.

“More than evidence of the desire of people to return to their native country, these yields are a desperate call at the end of the war so that people can return and rebuild their lives,” said Balde.

The United Nations Security Council will meet on Friday morning to discuss the situation in Ukraine in the midst of increasing concerns concerning the intensification of hostilities and increasing humanitarian needs. Senior UN political leaders and humanitarian officials should inform the Council. Follow our cover live from UN NewsIn coordination with the coverage of the UN meetings, for the updates of the room. UN applications users can follow here.

He recognizes their immense contributions to society but also recognizes the challenges they face due to the double burden of racism and sexism.

Although women and girls of African origin embody strength, resilience and unexploited potential, they remain among the most marginalized groups in the world due to the intersection of racial, gender and socio-economic discrimination.

For example, they suffer from alarmed maternal mortality rate, according to the UN reproductive health agency, Unfpa. Often, cases are not linked to income or education, but rather to racism and structural inequalities resulting from a heritage of slavery and colonialism.

“The good news is that these things are not irreversible,” said Patricia Dasilva, agency senior program advisor UN News.

“We can repair them. We have the solutions for many problems that we face in terms of maternal health for women and girls of African origin. ”

Data and solutions

The UNFPA recommends stronger health systems and investments in midwife programs, culturally sensitive training for health care providers and data collection improvements.

The agency also invests in partnerships, such as an initiative in the Pacific region in Colombia, which houses large communities of people of African origin.

“We have worked with traditional midwives to integrate ancestral knowledge into modern health practices.

“It looks like a really simple thing, but when you are in a distant community without access to technology, without access to administrative offices, it becomes this really important problem. »»

Change agents

Ms. Dasilva confirmed the theme for International DayWho focuses on women and girls of African origin as managers, not only the beneficiaries.

“I think it is important that the international community, the global community, understands that women and girls of African origin are not beneficiaries of aid. They are leaders. They are innovators. They are agents of change, ”she said.

“We have an opportunity and even an obligation and a responsibility to support resources for their solutions, to raise their voices and to continue to really double our efforts to dismantle the structural barriers which continue to hinder their progress.”

The first celebration of international day coincides with the start of the second international decade for people of African origin, which takes place until 2034.