UN chief warns ‘rule of force’ is attacking human rights as world order shifts

By R Anil Kumar

Geneva, February 23, 2026. Opening the latest session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world was witnessing a worrying shift away from legal norms towards raw power.

“Human rights are under a full-scale attack around the world,” he said, cautioning that “the rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force”.

Importantly, Guterres stressed that these developments are unfolding in full view. “This assault is not coming from the shadows, or by surprise,” he said. “It is happening in plain sight – and often led by those who hold the greatest power.”

He did not list specific countries, but pointed to ongoing crises that illustrate the trend. In Ukraine, more than 15,000 civilians have been killed since Russia’s invasion four years ago. “It is more than past time to end the bloodshed,” he said.

He also expressed alarm at the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, describing “blatant violations of human rights, human dignity and international law” and warning that the prospects for a two-state solution were being steadily dismantled. “The international community cannot allow it to happen,” he added.

Rights under pressure worldwide:

In what is expected to be his final in-person address to the Council before stepping down later this year, Guterres broadened his focus beyond conflict zones, arguing that the erosion of rights is now a global phenomenon.

“Around the world, human rights are being pushed back deliberately, strategically and sometimes proudly,” he said. He painted a picture of a world where suffering is too often rationalised, people are treated as bargaining chips and international law is brushed aside as inconvenient.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk echoed those concerns, warning of a “deeply worrying trend” in which ideas of domination and supremacy are re-emerging.

“A fierce competition for power, control and resources is playing out on the world stage at a rate and intensity unseen for the past 80 years,” Turk said. “The use of force to resolve disputes between and within countries is becoming normalised.”

At the same time, he noted that global power dynamics are shifting, creating both risks and opportunities. Turk called on individuals, civil society and states to work together to build a “strong counterbalance” to increasingly top-down and autocratic tendencies.

Democracy tested in a changing world:

The warnings come as the UN faces mounting challenges – from a rise in conflicts and humanitarian crises to shrinking financial support. The United States, traditionally the organisation’s largest donor, has significantly reduced foreign aid since President Donald Trump’s return to office, with other countries following suit.

For Guterres, the stakes could not be clearer. “When human rights fall, everything else tumbles,” he said, linking the current crisis to widening inequality, accelerating climate disruption and the misuse of emerging technologies.

Artificial intelligence in particular, he warned, is increasingly being used in ways that suppress rights, deepen divides and expose marginalised communities to new forms of discrimination both online and offline.

Turk, meanwhile, criticised leaders who act as though they are above international norms. Without naming individuals, he described how some claim “exceptional” status to justify actions that undermine the UN Charter, weaponise economic influence and spread disinformation to silence critics.

Despite the assessment, both officials struck a note of cautious resolve. Guterres emphasised that collective action can still reverse the trend, urging governments and societies to recommit to fundamental principles.

He highlighted the growing pressures on vulnerable groups – from migrants and refugees to minorities, indigenous peoples and LGBTQI+ communities – but framed the moment as a call to action rather than resignation.

“Do not let power write a new rulebook in which the vulnerable have no rights and the powerful have no limits,” he said – a reminder that, even in turbulent times, the defence of human rights remains both possible and essential.