UN chief warns of ethnic cleansing risk in Gaza and global human rights collapse

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned of the risk of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and a broader collapse of the global human rights system, citing escalating violations and growing disregard for international law worldwide.

Speaking at the opening session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Guterres said civilian suffering had reached catastrophic levels across major conflict zones, including Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.

The Secretary-General stressed that the erosion of respect for human rights standards was not accidental but the result of deliberate political choices by international actors. He urged member states to stop treating human rights as optional commitments shaped by narrow political interests, emphasising that such rights are universal and indivisible.

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Guterres warned that the United Nations human rights framework is now in a “struggle for survival”, pointing to severe funding cuts, systematic attacks against UN human rights experts and the withdrawal of major powers from international accountability mechanisms.

He said the widening gap between humanitarian needs and available resources had reached a critical level, as crises intensify while financial support declines.

According to Guterres, this imbalance threatens the UN’s ability to carry out its core responsibilities and protect victims of conflicts around the world, raising concerns about the future effectiveness of international human rights protections.

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