UN Human Rights Chief warns rules of war collapsing worldwide

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Monday that international law and the rules of war, the foundations of peace and global order are collapsing, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.  

Speaking at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session, Türk highlighted “trends undermining our rights that are spreading across the world.”

He condemned what he described as “the alarming erosion of international law,” cautioning that “longstanding rules of war are being torn apart, with almost no accountability.”

Türk pointed to the blatant disregard for international law in conflicts, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan, and the devastating ‘Israeli’ offensive in Gaza. 

Turk’s remarks came days after China staged a massive military parade and US President Donald Trump’s orders to rename the Department of Defense into the Department of War, which he criticized as “pro-war propaganda pervasive everywhere, from military displays to hardline rhetoric.” 

“Unfortunately, there are no peace parades or ministries of peace,” he added. 

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The UN human rights chief stressed that international law is “the foundation of peace, our global order, and our daily lives, from trade rules and the global internet to our fundamental rights.”

“But many governments ignore it, disrespect it, and abandon it,” he warned. “When states disregard violations of the law, they make them appear normal.” Türk further cautioned that “some states have become extensions of the personal power of their leaders.”

He also denounced “the withdrawal of some states from multilateral frameworks, institutions, and international agreements.”

Among other examples, he cited US sanctions imposed on International Criminal Court judges and prosecutors, Russia’s issuance of arrest warrants against them, and US sanctions targeting the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories.

He described the US decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord and several UN bodies, including the Human Rights Council, as “deeply regrettable.”

Türk warned that “the web of global and regional cooperation, carefully woven over decades for the common good, is gradually weakening.”

“We cannot return,” he concluded, “to the outdated mindsets and approaches that led to two world wars and the Holocaust.”