https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2025/12/high-commission...
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk
At
EU-NGO Forum 2025 - Brussels, Belgium
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Statements and speeches
Statements and speeches
Statements and speeches
Distinguished participants,
I am very happy to join you at this Forum, on the eve of Human Rights Day. It is always an important occasion to reflect on equality, and on human rights more generally.
Equality is the thread that runs through all of our human rights — and our shared humanity.
It is about how we treat each other. How the State interacts with us. How we interact with nature and the environment.
It is the foundation of justice and lasting peace.
Our history is full of examples of liberation and freedom movements, from anti-slavery to labour rights to feminism.
It was an important achievement for humanity that the principles of equality and non-discrimination were central to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 77 years ago.
There were fierce debates about which grounds for discrimination to include in the Universal Declaration.
Still, delegates from across regions championed the principle of equality and ensured it was reflected throughout the text.
The Indian delegate, women’s rights activist Hansa Mehta, insisted that Article 1 be changed to say that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. The original draft read: all men.
Minerva Bernardino, of the Dominican Republic, successfully argued for including the equality of men and women in the preamble of the Universal Declaration.
And Begum Shaista Ikramullah, the delegate from Pakistan, advocated for equal rights in marriage to help tackle child marriage and forced marriage.
In fact, nine women participated actively in the drafting of the Declaration – a story we need to tell again and again to explain why the text is what it is.
And it warms my heart to be here with you today – you are the people continuing this struggle for liberation. You represent today’s heroes, you carry the torch for rights and freedoms, against a backdrop that has become exceedingly difficult.
If we look at the world today, I have to admit that there are serious efforts underway to erode and redefine the international norms that have underpinned peace and stability for decades.
If we listen to the political rhetoric of some leaders, what lurks behind it is the conviction that they are above the law, above the UN Charter – that they are exceptional. They claim exceptional status, exceptional danger, or exceptional moral judgement in order to pursue their own agenda.
Yet, ideas of exceptionalism and supremacy are an affront to the fundamental notions of equality and justice.
Worryingly, we also see increased attacks against the very institutions that were created to uphold and defend human rights and the rule of law, such as the International Criminal Court.
There are also those who use divide-and-rule tactics, fabricating differences to distract from the real work of governing and in order to consolidate their power.
And those with ethno-nationalist agendas, who ignore facts and spread hatred.
What they all have in common is that they are implacably opposed to equal rights - for women, for marginalized racial and ethnic groups, for refugees, for migrants, for LGBTIQ+ people, and anyone perceived as different.
Equality is distorted into an existential threat to national, religious, and cultural identity.
And worryingly, diversity, equity, and inclusion policies that were adopted precisely to address historic and structural discrimination are increasingly misrepresented and vilified in some regions.
I am also concerned that anti-rights groups are increasingly coordinated; they are operating across borders, and they are well-funded.
For example, according to a study conducted by the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, almost 1.2 billion US dollars were mobilised by anti-rights groups in Europe between 2019 and 2023. This was channelled through 275 different entities engaged in anti-gender initiatives across Europe. And we are seeing similar tendencies in other regions of the world.
Needless to say, funding for gender equality work is just a fraction of the amount that I have just mentioned.
Why is this happening? And how do we counter it? These are important questions for this Forum.
Let me offer a couple of ideas for reflection.
I believe human rights - and equality more specifically - are an easy target, because they are anathema to subjugation, exceptionalism, and supremacy.
Human rights challenge an unacceptable status quo and unhealthy power dynamics. They cry out for freedom. You live this on a daily basis.
In essence, human rights are radical in that they care for everyone everywhere without fail. They are an uncomfortable truth for those who seek to control, subjugate and dominate others.
They are a direct threat to those who believe the rules don’t apply to them, who have a me-first, my nationality-first mentality.
So, the fact that human rights are currently in the crosshairs validates their power for people and our common humanity - but also for transformation.
Because people around the world actually want freedom, equality, and dignity.
They reject cruelty, hate, and subjugation.
The evidence is clear, and people confirm it everywhere: the world needs more human rights, not less.
I believe another reason for today’s headwinds lies in growing inequalities that are undermining social cohesion and creating divisions in our communities and societies.
Many of today’s wars, from Sudan to Myanmar to Gaza, are rooted in long-standing discrimination on ethnic, racial, religious, or other grounds.
The climate emergency and the rapid expansion of digital technologies affect us all, but not equally.
They expose and deepen systemic disparities.
For example, those who bear the least responsibility for the climate crisis are suffering its worst impacts, including people of African descent, minorities, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, and people living in rural and small island countries.
Artificial Intelligence is already reproducing existing biases against women, people of African descent, and others. Algorithms are discriminating against people in job hiring and in access to services. For example, one equality regulator in Europe recently found that Facebook’s job ads algorithm is sexist – targeting men for engineering jobs, and women for teaching preschool.
Deep digital divides mean many people are cut off from the opportunities that are offered by new technologies, with stark disparities by income, race, gender, geography, and more.
Hate speech and incitement to violence are surging around the world, amplified by poorly regulated social media platforms. I was struck that rage-bait is the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year.
Research indicates that around seventy percent of people targeted by hate speech on social media tend to belong to minority groups.
Data gathered by my Office shows that one in five people reported experiencing discrimination last year.
Nearly one in three people with disabilities report discrimination.
Abuse and harassment against women are alarmingly common. On average, 137 women or girls are killed every day by someone in their own family.
And I have met a lot of women leaders and representatives who have told me that they would never have entered public life, had they known how much abuse and harassment they would face.
Across regions, systemic racism continues to have a profound effect on Africans and people of African descent in all areas of life. In Europe, 77 percent of people of African descent report discrimination and harassment. In some European countries, Black women are four times as likely and Asian women twice as likely to die in childbirth as white women.
Antisemitism and Anti-Muslim hatred are also on the rise. Here in the EU, both Jews and Muslims reported significant increases in discrimination since 7 October 2023.
Around the world, migrants and refugees are targeted by dehumanizing rhetoric and biased policies. There is arbitrary detention and denial of rights - often under the guise of national security.
LGBTIQ+ people continue to face high levels of violence, harassment, and discrimination around the world. In at least seven States, people engaging in consensual same-sex relations can face the death penalty.
Violations against Roma are widespread in several European countries, and the representation of Roma in the European Parliament has shrunk to zero.
Distinguished participants,
As inequalities expand, civic space is shrinking.
Journalists, activists, human rights defenders – including many of you - have been at the forefront of the global movement for equality and justice. Your perseverance achieved landmark victories for the rights of women, migrants, people of African descent, Indigenous Peoples, minorities, for our environment, and beyond.
Perhaps because of these successes, you are sometimes perceived as a threat.
Civic space is not only shrinking; it is becoming more dangerous.
Human rights defenders are arbitrarily arrested, subjected to surveillance, intimidated, and worse.
According to data gathered by my Office, at least 625 human rights defenders and journalists were killed or disappeared in 2024. Some 30 percent of them were environmental human rights defenders. And we know this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Women human rights defenders face specific harms, including sexualized online violence, stalking, and doxing.
Europe is not immune.
Some States in the EU are imposing legal and administrative restrictions that hinder the work of NGOs. Some are curtailing peaceful protests. NGOs are having to defend themselves against coordinated attacks on their legitimacy.
Civil society organisations working on equality, migration, the environment, and human rights more broadly are particularly targeted.
I am closely following court cases in which NGO workers are facing criminal charges related to search-and-rescue operations at sea. Disrupting illicit smuggling and trafficking is critical, but it can never justify charging individuals or organizations with crimes simply for saving lives.
Many civil society organisations – and we have heard it before - are also facing deep funding cuts. This is undermining their viability and is likely to jeopardise progress on equality and non-discrimination.
While I have painted a grim picture, we are far from powerless.
The history of the human rights movement is our inspiration. In the most challenging times, equality and justice have prevailed.
I see three priorities to move the needle.
First, we need strong leadership to tackle discrimination head-on.
It starts with acknowledging the crucial role of equality for our societies.
We know that addressing discrimination can help prevent violent conflict. Our work has shown, time and again, that when discrimination against communities is ignored, when civic space for dialogue is shut down, when dehumanization is tolerated and even enabled, then grievances will fester and tensions will build.
When States adopt and fully implement comprehensive anti-discrimination laws, they can protect people from violence and harassment. They can punish and deter such acts and support everyone to participate in public life.
Strong, well-resourced, independent national human rights institutions are an important tool for societies. They can monitor and report on instances of discrimination and can issue targeted recommendations for action.
AI governance at the national and global levels is also key to tackling discrimination. When AI is guided by equality, then tech can better deliver for everyone, not just the privileged few. This reinforces social cohesion and builds trust across society.
States, tech companies, social media platforms, and other stakeholders need to work together to make that a reality.
We also need to work much harder to ensure that marginalized groups have a real voice in the decisions that affect them.
Nothing about us without us - the rallying cry of the disabilities movement - is an inspiration for us all.
We also know that many of today’s inequalities are rooted in the legacies of colonialism, enslavement, and other systems of oppression. Any meaningful attempts to tackle systemic racism involve taking responsibility for the harm caused, which needs to be repaired.
Reparatory justice is about exposing and coming to terms with the truth of our common history. Not erasing it, ignoring it, or rewriting it. While there have been some welcome steps, we will still need a full accounting for the legacies of the past and their impact today.
Second, we need to build economies that deliver for all.
Many of today’s social and economic policies ignore or even exclude the most marginalized people.
Public services, including housing, education, and employment support, are often insufficient to reach those left behind.
Governments can address this by integrating equality in economic and social policy from the start.
My Office is supporting governments around the world from Chile to Nepal to Rwanda to build a human rights economy, in which fiscal policies and public spending are aligned with human rights.
Finally, it is vital to protect NGOs and support civil society.
A vibrant civil society is the lever of robust, resilient societies more broadly.
Everywhere, human rights defenders are among my Office’s essential allies. In 2024 alone, we collaborated with more than 30,000 of them.
It is critical that civil society representatives can exercise their freedoms of expression and of association, without fear or risk to their safety.
I welcome very much the EU’s efforts to ensure emergency protection for human rights defenders from third countries. Let’s build on this - to secure more relocation pathways, digital safety, and more, long-term funding both within and outside the EU.
As you know so well, human rights have been an inspiration.
They are our compass in turbulent times — guiding and steadying us through uncertainty.
What I hope to achieve over the next few months, with your support, is a Global Alliance for human rights: a cross-regional coalition of States, businesses, civil society, philanthropists, and others – to put human rights at the heart of public and political life.
This is the moment to unite in solidarity. NGOs are our steadfast partners. We count on your continued support, and we invite you to count on ours.
Thank you very much.
