U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres accused Moscow of violating multiple international laws on humanitarian and human rights, during his opening speech Monday at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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Feb. 27 (UPI) -- The United Nations Human Rights Council conference got underway in Geneva Monday with U.N. Secretary General António Guterres blasting Russia for the invasion of Ukraine and for atrocities that President Vladimir Putin's troops are suspected of committing on civilians throughout the war.
In his speech to open the six-week conference, Guterres accused Moscow of violating multiple international laws on humanitarian and human rights, including sexual violence against men, women and girls; torture against prisoners of war; and hundreds of cases where civilian detainees have vanished without a trace.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most massive violations of human rights we are living today," Guterres declared during a high-level segment at the 52nd regular session of the council, where dignitaries and foreign ministers from 125 nations, gathered to discuss multilateral diplomacy amid the war, which marked its one-year anniversary last Friday with no end in sight.
The conference, which wraps up on April 4, was taking place at a critical time of the Ukraine war, and just as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, one of Putin's fiercest allies, was traveling to Beijing, prompting speculation that China could be planning to send weapons to Russia. But on Sunday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Beijing against making such a move.
"We will watch carefully, we will be vigilant, and we will continue to send a strong message that we believe that sending military aid to Russia at this time, when they are using their weapons to bombard cities, kill civilians and commit atrocities, would be a bad mistake, and China should want no part of it," Sullivan said.
Back in Geneva, Guterres said Russia "has unleashed widespread death, destruction and displacement," echoing last Thursday's decision by the U.N. General Assembly to condemn Moscow for the ongoing war and demand that Russian President Vladimir Putin withdraw his troops from Ukraine.
Guterres used the year-long conflict to set up a deeper discussion about other major issues confronting the world, including climate change, poverty, racism, violence, and women's sexual and reproductive rights -- in an effort to illustrate the various links to human rights.
Guterres urged the delegation to fully implement the Call to Action for Human Rights plan which he proposed three years ago.
"Human rights are not a luxury that can be left until we find a solution to the world's other problems," he said. "We must protect and promote the global consensus around the Universal Declaration and move forward into a new era of human rights for all."
Guterres also said he plans to help launch an international "Agenda for Protection" in July this year, which will seek to bolster human rights in member states "both in times of peace and in times of crisis and conflict."
The lengthy meeting of the Human Rights Council features six weeks of panel discussions and official progress reports on human rights challenges in dozens of nations around the world.
Discussions at the conference will include developing a strategy to engage youth in human rights causes, and panel discussions will be held on the validity of the death penalty and the rights of children with digital access.
Throughout the talks, updates will be given on simultaneous human rights crises in Eritrea, Nicaragua, Sudan and in occupied Palestinian territory throughout the Middle East.
Another week of talks is planned on human rights developments in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Nicaragua, South Sudan, Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras. Human rights experts are also expected to give a report on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, followed by a discussion on freedom of religion.
The third week of the conference will address disability rights, and experts will give a presentation on torture and capital punishment.
Delegates will also discuss Ukraine, Iran, Myanmar, South Korea, Venezuela, Morocco, Indonesia, Finland, United Kingdom, India, Algeria, Philippines, Brazil, Poland, Netherlands and South Africa, as well as the issue of Palestinians in occupied Arab territories.
