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	The State of the World’s Human Rights by Agnes Callamard Secretary General, Amnesty International   April 2026   The world is on the brink of a perilous new era, driven by powerful states’, corporations’ and anti-rights movements’ assaults on multilateralism, international law and human rights, Amnesty International warned today upon launching its annual report, The State of the World’s Human Rights.   States, international bodies and civil society must reject the politics of appeasement and collectively resist these attacks to prevent this new order from taking hold, the organization said in its assessment of the human rights situation in 144 countries.   “We are confronting the most challenging moment of our age. Humanity is under attack from transnational anti-rights movements and predatory governments determined to assert their dominance through unlawful wars and brazen economic blackmail,” said Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnes Callamard.   “For years, Amnesty International has denounced the gradual disintegration of human rights in every part of the world, warning of the consequences of flagrant rule-breaking by governments and corporate actors. We’ve also demonstrated time and again how double standards and selective compliance with international law have weakened the multilateral system and accountability.   “What marks this moment as fundamentally different is that we’re no longer documenting erosion around the system’s edges. This is a direct assault on the foundations of human rights and the international rules-based order by the most powerful actors for the purpose of control, impunity and profit.   “The spiralling conflict in the Middle East is a product of this descent into lawlessness. Following the initial unlawful US-Israeli attacks in violation of the UN Charter, which triggered Iran’s indiscriminate retaliation, the conflict has quickly morphed into an open warfare against civilians and civilian infrastructure, exacerbating the already catastrophic suffering of people across the region.   It is now engulfing countries around the world, impacting populations everywhere, and threatening the livelihood of millions.   This is what happens when the norms, institutions and legal framework painstakingly built to safeguard humanity are hollowed out for the purpose of domination.”   “Amnesty’s 2025 annual report moves beyond warning of imminent breakdown to documenting a collapse now underway, and exposing its devastating consequences for human rights, global stability and the lives of millions in 2026 and beyond.   It calls on states around the world to urgently reject the politics of appeasement embraced in 2025, overcome fear, and resist in words and actions the construction of a predatory world order.”   The State of the World’s Human Rights,and Amnesty International’s documentation so far this year, details pervasive crimes under international law and mounting attacks on the international justice system, which are gravely harming the foundations that underpin human rights globally.   “World leaders have been far too submissive in the face of attacks on international law and the multilateral system. Their silence and inaction are inexcusable. It is morally bankrupt and will bring nothing but retreat, defeat and the erasure of decades of hard-fought human rights gains. To appease aggressors is to pour fuel on a fire that will burn us all and scorch the future for generations to come,” said Agnes Callamard.   “Some may be tempted to dismiss the system built over the last 80 years as nothing but an illusion. This is to ignore the hard-fought achievements towards the recognition of universal rights, the adoption of multiple international conventions and national laws protecting against racial discrimination and violence against women, enshrining the rights of workers and trade unions, and recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples.   It is to forget the poverty addressed, the reproductive rights strengthened and the justice delivered when states chose to uphold the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.   “The political and economic predators, and their enablers, are declaring the multilateral system dead not because it’s inefficient but because it’s not serving their hegemony and control.   The response is not to proclaim it an illusion or beyond repair, but to confront its failures, end its selective application and keep transforming it so that it’s fully capable of defending all people with equal resolve.”   The proliferation of attacks on civil society and social movements deepened in 2025, with sustained efforts to silence and disempower human rights defenders, organizations and dissenters spreading to almost every part of the world.   The USA, Canada, France, Germany and the UK, among others, announced or enacted sweeping cuts to international aid budgets, despite knowing they would likely result in millions of avoidable deaths, and in several cases while committing to massive parallel hikes in military expenditure.   This has had a catastrophic impact on NGOs’ efforts to advance press freedom, climate resilience, and gender justice, to protect refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, and to provide healthcare and sexual and reproductive rights.   Many states continued to resist reining in the aggressive tax avoidance and evasion by billionaires and corporate giants while weakening further restraints on corporate power. In the USA, strategic lawsuits against public participation had a chilling effect on civil society, with one such lawsuit resulting in a court ordering Greenpeace to pay a fossil fuel company $345 million.   In a context dominated by the US president describing climate change as a “scam”, governments did nowhere near enough to address climate displacement, equitably transition away from fossil fuels, or adequately ramp up finance for climate action – even as the UN Environment Programme warned that the world is on track to reach 3°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.   “What alternative do the bullies and predators offer to the imperfect global experiment they’re so intent on destroying? The world order they propose is one that mocks and discards racial, gender and climate justice, treats civil society as an enemy, and rejects international solidarity. It is built on silencing dissent, weaponizing the law and dehumanizing those deemed ‘others’.   Their vision of the world is predicated not on respect for our common humanity, but on military force, trade domination and technological hegemony. It is, ultimately, a vision with no moral compass,” said Agnes Callamard.   Undeterred by adversity, millions around the world are resisting injustice and authoritarian practices.   Gen Z protests swept over a dozen countries in 2025, including Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nepal and Peru, and around 300,000 people defied Hungary’s ban on Budapest Pride to defend LGBTI rights. Throughout early 2026, demonstrators from Los Angeles to Minneapolis have organized street by street and block by block against violent and highly militarized US immigration enforcement raids. Mass demonstrations against Israel’s military conduct in Gaza spread around the world.   While many governments appeased attacks on international justice, several states and bodies bucked this trend by demonstrating their commitment to multilateralism and rule of law.   Several states joined the Hague Group, a collective committed to holding Israel accountable for violations of international law. The Philippines handed former president Rodrigo Duterte over to the ICC to face charges of the crime against humanity of murder, and the court issued warrants against two Taliban leaders for gender-based persecution. The Council of Europe and Ukraine agreed to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, and a hybrid court in the Central African Republic convicted six former members of an armed group for war crimes and crimes against humanity.   The UN Human Rights Council established an independent investigative mechanism for Afghanistan and a fact-finding mission and Commission of Inquiry on Eastern DRC, and expanded the mandate of its fact-finding mission on Iran.   Significant progress was made toward a binding UN tax convention and a Crimes Against Humanity Convention, and the ICJ and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued landmark advisory opinions affirming state human rights obligations to respond to climate damage.   More states have started speaking out against authoritarian practices and attacks on the rules-based order in 2026, but such calls must be backed up with decisive and sustained action.   “From city streets to multilateral forums, 2025 brought powerful displays of resistance and solidarity from protesters, diplomats, political leaders and many others around the world. We must build on their example and courage and forge bold coalitions to reimagine, rebuild and re-centre the global order around human rights, the rule of law and universal values,” said Agnes Callamard.   “Let 2026 be the year we assert our agency and demonstrate that history is not merely something imposed upon us; it is ours to make. And for the sake of humanity, the time to make history is now.”   http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/04/amnesty-international-calls-states-to-stop-predatory-era-taking-hold/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/0320/2026/en/ Visit the related web page
	A crisis of respect for human rights by Volker Turk United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights   23 Feb. 2026   UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council:   "Human rights are under a full-scale attack around the world. The rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force. And this assault is not coming from the shadows. Or by surprise. It is happening in plain sight – and often led by those who hold the greatest power.   Around the world, human rights are being pushed back deliberately, strategically, and sometimes proudly. The consequences are devastating. Written in the lives of people who suffer twice: first from violence, oppression, or exclusion – and then again from the world’s indifference.   When human rights fall, everything else tumbles. Peace. Development. Social cohesion. Trust. Solidarity.   This is precisely why the tools of the UN Human Rights Council – such as the Special Rapporteurs, Special Procedures, investigative mechanisms, and the Universal Periodic Review –are essential.   And it is precisely why – as we mark the Council’s 20th anniversary – we also recognize it is more important than ever to translate geopolitical engagement into a path towards strengthening human rights everywhere.   Tomorrow, I shall address the UN Security Council on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. It is more than past time to end the bloodshed.   I began this month speaking to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People about blatant violations of human rights, human dignity, and international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.   The current trajectory is stark, clear and purposeful: the two-State solution is being stripped away in broad daylight. The international community cannot allow this to happen.   And a few days ago, I was at the African Union Summit where Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sahel and other crises were front and centre.   We are living in a world where mass suffering is excused away … where humans are used as bargaining chips … where international law is treated as a mere inconvenience.   Conflicts are multiplying and impunity has become a contagion. That is not due to a lack of knowledge, tools or institutions. It is the result of political choices. This crisis of respect for human rights does not stand alone. It mirrors and magnifies every other global fracture.   Humanitarian needs are exploding while funding collapses. Inequalities are widening at staggering speed. Countries are drowning in debt and despair. Climate chaos is accelerating.   And technology – especially artificial intelligence – is increasingly being used in ways that suppress rights, deepen inequality, and expose marginalized people to new forms of discrimination both online and offline.   Across every front, those who are already vulnerable are being pushed further to the margins. And human rights defenders are among the first to be silenced when they try to warn us.   In this coordinated offensive, human rights are the first casualty. We see it in a tightening grip on civic space. Journalists and activists jailed. NGOs shut down. Women’s rights rolled back. Children’s rights ignored. Persons with disabilities excluded. Democracies eroding.   The right of peaceful assembly crushed – and I condemn once again the recent violent repression of protests in Iran.   Migrants harassed, arrested and expelled with total disregard for their human rights and their humanity. Refugees scapegoated. LGBTIQ+ communities vilified. Minorities and indigenous peoples targeted. Religious communities attacked. Online spaces poisoned by disinformation and hate – resulting in real-world harm.   Human rights are not a slogan for good times. They are a duty at all times. And so we must stand up for them – and even when it is difficult, inconvenient, or costly. That requires action on three urgent fronts.   First, we must defend our shared foundations – without compromise. The UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the instruments of international human rights law are not a menu. Leaders cannot pick the parts they like and ignore the rest.   And human rights themselves are also not divisible. Economic rights, social rights, cultural rights, civil rights and political rights – these are inherent, universal, inalienable, and interdependent.   Human rights are not only what we defend – they are what lifts the world to a better place. When rights are upheld, people live more freely. Economies grow more fairly. Communities trust more deeply. And peace and stability take hold because dignity takes root.   Human rights are not an obstacle to progress – they are essential to progress. We have seen it time and again, all over the world. Where rights advance, conflict loses ground. Where justice strengthens, violent extremism weakens. Where equality expands, possibility explodes. Where freedom prevails, societies flourish.   So we must change course and let human dignity set the direction. By renewing our commitment to – and respect for – the rule of law at every level. By supporting the pivotal work of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. By delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals. By accelerating climate action.   Human rights are not West or East, North or South. They are not a luxury – they are not negotiable. They are the foundation of a more peaceful and secure world".   Feb. 2026   United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk statement to the Human Rights Council (Extract):   "The use of force to resolve disputes between and within countries is becoming normalized. Inflammatory threats against sovereign nations are thrown about, with no regard to the fire they could ignite.   The laws of war are being brutally violated. Mass civilian suffering – from Sudan, to Gaza, to Ukraine, to Myanmar – is unfolding before our eyes.   The situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. Palestinians are still dying from Israeli fire, cold, hunger, and treatable diseases. The aid allowed in is not enough to meet the massive needs.   There are concerns over ethnic cleansing in both Gaza and the West Bank, where Israel is accelerating efforts to consolidate unlawful annexation.   Tomorrow marks four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Four interminable and agonizing years. Civilian casualties have soared, and Russia’s systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy and water infrastructure could amount to international crimes.   In Myanmar, five years after the military coup, the awful conflict is claiming even more civilian lives, and the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. The recent elections staged by the military have only deepened people’s despair.   Authorities in Iran have violently repressed mass protests with lethal force, killing thousands. Meanwhile, violence and tensions are resurging in South Sudan and Ethiopia.   In Sudan, there must be accountability for the war crimes and potential crimes against humanity committed by the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher. Such atrocities must not be repeated in Kordofan or elsewhere. All those with influence need to act urgently to put an end to this destructive war.   Across too many violent conflicts today, health and aid workers, journalists are being targeted, in blatant violation of international law. These actions cannot be allowed to become the new normal.   States need to be persistent objectors to violations of the law – by pursuing accountability, and by clearly denouncing egregious crimes with consistency, and without exception.   Developments around the world point to a deeply worrying trend: domination and supremacy are making a comeback.   If we listen to the rhetoric of some leaders, what lurks behind it is a belief that they are above the law, and above the UN Charter.   They claim exceptional status, exceptional danger or exceptional moral judgement to pursue their own agenda at any cost. And why wouldn’t they try, when they are unlikely to face consequences?   They build and sustain systems that perpetuate inequalities within and between countries. Some weaponise their economic leverage. They spread disinformation to distract, silence and marginalize.   A tight clique of tech tycoons controls an outsize proportion of global information flows, distorting public debate, markets, and even governance systems.   Corporate and state interests ravage our environment, robbing the riches of the earth for their own gain.   But people are not watching all this from the sidelines. They are demanding their right to basic living conditions, to fair pay, to bodily autonomy, to self-determination, to be heard, to vote freely, and many other rights.   From Nepal to Madagascar, from Serbia to Peru and beyond, people are demanding equality and denouncing corruption. People are protesting war and injustice in places far from home, expressing solidarity and pressuring their governments to act.   They see human rights as a practical force for good – and they are right. Human rights are anathema to supremacy: they are a direct challenge to those who seek and cling to power. That is what makes human rights radical, and that is what gives them force.   Human rights didn’t magically appear with the Universal Declaration on 10 December 1948. People have been seeking freedom and equality long before these principles were codified in national or international agreements.   In the late 1700s, enslaved people in modern-day Haiti rose up against colonial rule, in the name of racial equality. The American and French revolutions challenged unaccountable authority.   The Abolitionist movement was a rejection of the Transatlantic slave trade – the most brutal system of subjugation. In the early 1900s, women joined together to demand the right to vote. The fight for gender equality continues.   After the bloodshed of two World Wars and the Holocaust, the UN Charter reasserted faith in fundamental human rights, and in the dignity and worth of the human person.   The 20th century then ushered in a period of decolonization, which reaffirmed the right to self-determination. People mobilized to end racial segregation, for labour rights, and to protect the rights of LGBT people.   Mothers marched together to seek justice for their disappeared children, from Argentina to Sri Lanka to Syria. And young people raise their voices for climate justice.   Human rights are the thread that runs through all these movements. And we do not take their achievements for granted.   Tyranny will seize any chance and exploit any opening. We must keep standing up for human rights, in solidarity with each other.   When we come together, we wield more power than any autocrat or tech billionaire. The struggle for human rights can never be derailed by the whims of a handful of leaders with reactionary, supremacist agendas.   While some States are weakening the multilateral system, we need bolder and more joined-up responses. This means calling out violations of international law, regardless of the perpetrators. Too often, denouncing violations by one party is labelled as siding with the enemy. In reality, it is upholding universality, and the pursuit of justice for all.   We need to forge coalitions to champion what unites us, and uphold equality, dignity, and justice for all. Our future depends on our joint commitment to defend every person’s rights, every time, everywhere".   http://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statements/2026-02-23/secretary-generals-remarks-the-human-rights-council-delivered http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/02/high-commissioner-turk-opens-human-rights-council-peoples-pursuit http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/02/high-commissioner-turk-sudan-let-aid-and-keep-weapons-out http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/02/high-commissioner-turk-occupied-palestinian-territory-absence http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/02/high-commissioner-turk-afghanistan-must-end-persecution-women-and http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/letter-to-un-human-rights-council-members-on-atrocity-prevention-priorities-at-the-councils-61st-session/ Visit the related web page
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