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	Let’s show that humanity can do better by United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs   Geneva, 11 March 2026   Remarks at Press Conference on 87 Million Lives Campaign by Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. (Extract):   "I want to start by saying that we’re living through a moment right now of grave peril across the Middle East. We’re seeing these crises escalate rapidly and increasingly collide in dangerous ways. We’re seeing violence reverberate across borders, displacement, economic shocks, soaring humanitarian needs – and we’re seeing the consequences spread faster than we can respond.   Later this afternoon, I’ll make three asks of the United Nations Security Council.   Firstly, that civilians, all civilians, wherever they are in the region, must be protected. Constant care must be taken to spare civilians and critical civilian infrastructure, schools, hospitals, at all times and by all parties. And humanitarians must be protected and our movements facilitated.   My second ask: we must be supported to go wherever the needs are in the region. I’ve reaffirmed our readiness to help Lebanese, Iranian, Palestinian, Israeli or other civilians, as needed. Humanitarian action is always harder in times of war, but this is, of course, when it is most needed. We call on Member States to help ensure that our life-saving work continues.   And a third ask of the Security Council is for a revival of strategic, calm, rational, patient, hopeful diplomacy – we need calmer heads to prevail. Peacemaking is hard, but it is always better and takes more courage than the alternatives.   So, every time you hear the powerful attack the UN, ask yourself what they gain by weakening us. Let’s have the courage instead, to recommit to lasting peace, sustained stability, dependable governance and international law.   The developments of the last two weeks are further confirmation that we’re living in a time of brutality, impunity and indifference. The rules-based scaffolding meant to restrain the worst excesses of war is cracking.   Human ingenuity is being applied to find ever more sinister ways to kill at scale, while civilians are subjected to ever more abject violence.   Aid workers are increasingly under attack. Just today, three more of my humanitarian colleagues, in Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and in Lebanon have, I’m afraid, been killed.   So, this is a tough moment for humanitarian action. We are overstretched, under sustained attack and under-resourced, but we refuse to retreat from our principles and we refuse to retreat from our mission. We refuse to give up on the people who rely on us to survive.   Ans that’s why today I actually want to talk a bit about something more uplifting: a global mission to rediscover solidarity and humanity, even in these toughest of times.   Just over 87 days ago, the humanitarian community unveiled a hyper-prioritized humanitarian plan calling for $23 billion to reach 87 million people this year with life-saving support.   87 million people, more than died in the Second World War, the catastrophe that, of course, led to the creation of the United Nations. And of course, behind every number is a life, is a story.   We gave ourselves 87 days to challenge Member States to back this plan with resolve, with resources, with a determination to deliver in 2026. Of course, the real needs are far greater than just those 87 million lives. And, of course, we have vital, vital appeals that go well beyond $23 billion, but what we’ve done here is to prioritize on the basis of greatest need, where the most urgent cases are that we must respond to first.   This plan will be delivered by around 2,000 humanitarian organizations across our extraordinary global humanitarian community. Over 60 per cent of them are local partners, local organizations.   In January, we reached over 7 million people with life-saving support – and they are the 7 million people facing the most severe needs in the most hard-to-reach places across 17 of our operations. In Sudan alone, we reached almost 2 million people in January, despite the security challenges we face.   Imagine delivering that same result every month, this year: 7 million lives a month. We can do that if we get the support we need, and we would then reach our target of saving 87 million lives across the year.   I said over 87 days ago, when we announced this plan that we would set out where we were on the funding at this stage. So far we've received $5 billion for the plan, with additional pledges and announcements, bringing the total to $8.7 billion. But we still face a massive gap without additional support, millions of people will die.   So we need those countries who’ve made these pledges to deliver that disbursement quickly. We need those who have more funds available to get those funds moving fast towards this plan in the first half of the year, not the second half, to allow us to deliver where support is most needed. And we need more partners to come forward, from the private sector, everyone who can to join this global effort.   We still need over $14 billion now to deliver this plan, and this is at a time when conflict in the Middle East is costing $1 billion dollars a day. Listen to that number and feel the shame that I feel that we’re spending a billion dollars a day on this war. Even just $1 billion would allow us to save millions of lives.   So the choice is, are we going to close this gap? The resources exist, but does the solidarity?   We’re not asking you to choose between a hospital in Brooklyn, London, Mexico City, Rio, Manila, or a hospital in Kandahar, Akobo, Aleppo, Port-au-Prince. We’re asking you just to recognize that maybe the world can spend a little less on weapons this year and more on saving lives. (In 2025, Global military spending was $2.7 trillion)   A recent global survey demonstrated that supporters of international aid outnumber opponents by four to one. There is a movement of billions supporters out there.   I believe that when people understand what humanitarian funding represents and delivers, they overwhelmingly support this action – it’s about solidarity, humanity, kindness.   Our ask, therefore, is simple. Choose solidarity. Choose this year to save 87 million lives. No one can end every crisis, but together, we can help end someone’s crisis – one life at a time. Let’s make 2026 a story of genuine solidarity and genuine hope. Let’s show that humanity can do better.   Q: You mentioned the $1 billion cost every day of the war. How much does it cost in extra humanitarian needs? In other words, do you have to already revise the plan that you unveiled in December?   Under-Secretary-General Fletcher: Yes, the cost of our response is going up, and we will have to prioritize even harder and further with the resources that we have. We basically have to make do responding to crisis as they come.   Because of the conflict in the region, we are now going to have to scale up further in places like Lebanon, for example. I’m having to use more money from the Central Emergency Response Fund to react to these crises across the region. And every time we do that, it means that we have to deprioritize the response elsewhere at a time when, as I say, the needs go well beyond the 87 million people in critical need.   I’m also really worried about rising food costs, energy costs, fertilizer costs as this conflict goes on. I’m worried that further escalation will damage other supply routes. All of this has a direct impact on our humanitarian supplies, including going to areas of key need in sub-Saharan Africa. But more broadly, the conflict drives up the prices and so drives more people into greater need.   Q: I was wondering what kind of contingency plans you are looking at for the region – if you have any estimates yet, of the numbers of numbers of people, more people who will be in need or who will be displaced because of the conflict now. Is there any way of estimating that? Also, you mentioned that you’re calling on countries to spend less on weapons and more on solidarity, but I think the trend that we’re seeing right now is going in the opposite direction, with more spending on a lot of arms.   Under-Secretary-General Fletcher: It’s hard for us to predict how many will be displaced, but already, hundreds of thousands of people are on the move. Many in Iran are internally displaced at the moment.. Of course, that’s already happening in Lebanon, where you have hundreds of thousands displaced.. Those numbers are very worrying, and every day of the war pushes more people away from their homes and their communities. I’m sorry, the second question?   Q: It was on the weapons spending.   Under-Secretary-General Fletcher: I think the world has decided that it’s far more interested in spending enormous amounts of money developing increasingly deadly weapons than it is on saving lives. It seems to have decided that it hasn’t got time to work on ensuring that the rules that govern these weapons, these lethal autonomous weapons, keep up with the pace of technology.   So you’ve got this dangerous alliance between very innovative technology and huge amounts of money and people’s desire to kill more people – and that’s a toxic combination. Last year, 90 per cent of all deaths caused by drones and other explosive weapons in populated areas were civilians.   And we’re seeing that across the crises on which we work – whether it’s Gaza, Sudan or in Ukraine, we’re seeing these bad practices move between crises. The bad actors are actually discovering newer ways to kill and learning from each other new ways to kill, and we’re struggling to keep up with that innovation in killing.   I’m really concerned that this conflict whenever it ends, or whenever people claim it ends, this phase of the conflict, will mean that in the next phase, people will be spending even more money on arms and defense, because they’ll be more anxious about the next conflict. There’ll be even less funding for humanitarian action.   But you also have this knock-on effect on international law and international trust. It will be even harder for us to stand up the systems and processes, the scaffolding, that’s meant to hold the world together because it’s facing such sustained attritional attack. So that’s what I mean about the warning lights are flashing red right now.   Q: Can you elaborate a little more on other areas where you need to channel funds to save lives. Besides the Middle East region, what about other crisis areas that are not getting into the spotlight, like Central and West Africa?   Under-Secretary-General Fletcher: I’m glad that you mentioned the neglected crises, because this is a big concern we have. There are many neglected crises: Gaza, Sudan, Haiti, DRC, South Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon is moving up the list as we speak, crisis in sub-Saharan Africa.. We are struggling to fundraise for the Sahel, where you have a lot of people in need. The Ukraine crisis is, of course, a massive humanitarian crisis.   What we are trying to do across these major crises and many others is to show where the gaps are and to ensure that as a world, we’re not neglecting those in real need of our support".   http://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/3044/un-relief-chief-presser-tom-fletcher http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026 http://www.unocha.org/latest/news-and-stories   * A US Iran War Cost Tracker: http://iran-cost-ticker.com/   17 Mar. 2026   US war spending in Iran could have saved 87 million lives, says UN. (EU Observer)   The money spent by the US attacking Iran over the past two weeks could have saved the lives of 87 million people, according to the United Nations.   “The US alone has already spent more money on this conflict in the last two and a half weeks than the $23bn we need to save 87 million lives this year,” said Tom Fletcher, a senior official at the United Nations.   The Trump administration spent over $11.3bn in the first six days alone of its war against Iran.   Speaking to European lawmakers at the development committee on the 17th of March, Mr Fletcher said the $23bn also represents less than one percent of what the world will spend this year on guns and arms and defence.   “This is a very tough time to be a humanitarian. It’s a very tough time actually, to be a UN official,” he said, noting that major UN agencies and international NGOs have been forced to cut a third of their staff.   Mr Fletcher, whose full official title is UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator is appealing for greater international funding to support those in urgent need. As hundreds of child nutrition centres for severely malnourished children shut down in multiple vulnerable countries.   Last year was marked a stark reversal for global aid funding. Major donors implemented drastic cuts despite escalating crises, raising alarms about a funding shortfall. As a result, only about one-third of global humanitarian needs were funded last year.   Over 240 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, says UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).   The funding cuts has forced the UN to prioritise only 87 million people facing life threatening needs. But only $5bn has been mobilised so far, or about 15 percent of what is needed.   http://euobserver.com/207273/us-war-spending-in-iran-could-have-saved-87-million-lives-says-un/   * The Iran War Is Breaking Global Humanitarian Aid Efforts   The war in Iran has triggered severe global economic disruption, choking off disaster relief supply chains and spiking oil prices—further exacerbating existing humanitarian crises. Sam Vigersky an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations calls on the Trump administration to immediately release the $5.5 billion that the US Congress recently appropriated to the WFP, UNHCR, and NGOs working mitigate the global fallout from the crisis.   "Even that funding would not contain what is unfolding across the globe. That figure is less than half of what the United States historically devoted toward international humanitarian response, and it arrives at a moment of growing need. Still, releasing those funds would be an immediate, and desperately needed, first step. As Congress debates supplemental funding for the war with Iran, the United States already has money appropriated for a humanitarian response sitting inside the State Department. Moving it quickly—and following up with a larger surge of funding—may determine whether millions of people teetering on the edge of survival fall into catastrophe".   http://www.unops.org/news-and-stories/speeches/millions-of-people-around-the-world-at-risk-over-three-weeks-on-the-war-in-the-middle-east http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-projects-food-insecurity-could-reach-record-levels-result-middle-east-escalation http://www.unocha.org/news/closure-hormuz-could-have-immense-impact-humanitarian-operations-un-relief-chief-warns http://www.rescue.org/press-release/closure-strait-hormuz-and-regional-airspace-closures Visit the related web page
	A crisis of respect for human rights by OHCHR, United Nations News   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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