UN High Commissioner: “This violence must come to an end”

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was unanimously adopted 75 years ago. Would that still be conceivable today? On the anniversary, UN High Commissioner Türk emphasizes their importance and impact – especially with a view to the war in the Middle East.

tagesschau.de: When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, it was in response to the two world wars and the Holocaust. Now, 75 years later, on October 7th there was the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and the horrific war in Gaza. Have human rights failed?

Volker Turk: Man The question may arise as to whether there is much to celebrate on this anniversary. We have more conflicts than ever before, we have the climate crisis and, when it comes to digitalization, we see the dangers that artificial intelligence brings with it. We see what is happening on social media when it comes to anti-Semitism. But also Islamophobia and a hatred that is developed against other people – including refugees and migrants.

I believe it is important that, even at a time like this, we reflect on what human rights represent, what power they have for change and what they have achieved over the past 75 years.

“Humanitarian extremely precarious”

tagesschau.de: In this precarious situation in the war between the terrorist organization Hamas and Israel: What options do you see and what can you do specifically other than appeal?

Turk: We are in contact with civil society – both Palestinians and Israelis, with Israeli human rights defenders and government bodies, with the Palestinian Authority and all other states. We would like to point out that there is an absolute requirement to comply with international humanitarian law and also to respect human rights.

What happened on October 7th and 8th was terrible. Everything that has been done to Israeli civilians is condemnable. What is now happening in Gaza with this military action is extremely precarious from a humanitarian perspective. More than 6,000 children have now been killed.

“We’ve never experienced anything like this before”

tagesschau.de: More UN employees have been killed in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks than in any other conflict before. What does that do to you and your team?

Turk: We lost 130 staff from the United Nations Palestinian Relief Agency, an absolutely terrible number. We have never seen anything like this in the history of the United Nations, where so many people were killed so quickly.

There are still six employees on site who have told me terrible things. They can no longer carry out their work in Gaza because they have now been expelled five times. An employee told me that his wife was heavily pregnant and he didn’t know where she would give birth. Many of them have lost family members.

tagesschau.de: Are you overwhelmed?

Turk: My colleagues on site are extremely overwhelmed. We do everything we can to help them. It is very difficult to get out of Gaza. That is why this violence must come to an end.

“There are things being said that are simply not true.”

tagesschau.de: The conflict is extremely polarizing. There are also serious accusations against the UN from Israel that the United Nations favors Palestinians. What do you think?

Turk: It is that our work is based on ethics and professionalism. I saw that there is a whole campaign against an employee – the head of the UN team in Israel. I know her very well and have the highest professional respect for her. I find what is written about them and the disinformation associated with it completely unacceptable, because things are being said that are simply not true.

tagesschau.de: But it is also a fact that the UN Human Rights Council often criticizes some countries such as Israel for human rights violations, while others rarely or not at all – China, for example, or Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Turk: There is the Human Rights Council, which consists of member states. Politics comes into play here. I admit that. This has nothing to do with the office I hold. We strictly adhere to the criteria of objectivity and universality.

You will hear very clear words from me about all those who violate human rights around the world. We make no distinction whether it is a permanent member of the Security Council like the USA, Great Britain or China or a state like Afghanistan or the Central African Republic.

tagesschau.de: There are 55 conflicts currently. How do you manage to respond to everyone?

Turk: It is important to keep remembering that we have successes in our work that give us hope. We manage to influence legislative proposals if they are not in line with human rights. We manage to act as a bridge between state institutions and civil society. That really encourages me. When I ask young people: What concerns you?, climate change is always at the forefront – but also human rights.

“See a trend that backwards is”

tagesschau.de: Human rights are also women’s rights. Things look particularly bleak there. If you look at the war in the Middle East, the violence unleashed particularly affects women. Sexual violence and rape were apparently deliberately used as weapons by Hamas. In Afghanistan, women no longer have any rights. Is there a global trend?

Turk: We have to be extremely careful, especially when it comes to women’s rights. We see a trend that is backwards. What particularly worries me is violence against women and the fact that the number of femicides is also increasing in Europe.

tagesschau.de: The United Nations is also accused of reacting too late to reports of sexual violence by Hamas in Israel, of rape, mutilation and desecration of corpses.

Turk: As far as my office is concerned, I can tell you that we only recently received these reports. We take them extremely seriously. I already asked the Israelis in the week of October 8th that I could send a team to Israel that could document and monitor in more detail. Unfortunately I didn’t get an answer to this.

No influence on Russian laws

tagesschau.de: One can list many other groups of people who are particularly at risk. Russia has criminalized LGBTQ+ people through a series of laws and decrees. They immediately condemned it. But what can you actually do as UN Human Rights Commissioner?

Turk: When we receive proposed legislation, including on LGBTQ+ issues, we always have the opportunity to influence it. And we have had some success when proposed legislation was unacceptable. Unfortunately not as far as Russia is concerned.

In such a situation, it is particularly important that we maintain close contact with civil society. I meet them again and again and see what exactly we can offer in terms of support. For example, when it comes to appearing in court or visiting people on site or getting legal help.

tagesschau.de: Some countries repeatedly criticize that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is influenced too much by Western values. How do you respond to this criticism?

Turk: This is an old accusation that comes up again and again. If you look at the history of the Declaration of Human Rights and the discussion that took place 30 years ago at the world conference in Vienna, where the Vienna Declaration was made, all member states took part in negotiations for two years and it is very clear The consensus emerged that human rights are universal and nourished by all cultures and all religious traditions and that they are not a Western product.

tagesschau.de: China is trying to impose its own idea of ​​human rights in the Human Rights Council, according to which economic and collective rights are more important than individual or political freedoms. What strategies do you want to counter this interpretation?

Turk: Knowledge of history and law are very important. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is very clear and this basic consensus still stands.

The Challenge through climate change

tagesschau.de: If you had to prioritize, what is the biggest challenge to human rights now?

Turk: Apart from the right to peace, climate change is clearly the biggest challenge. This threatens us and our human rights – especially for those in the poorest countries who have barely made a contribution to climate change. They suffer the most from it. This is a question of justice.

tagesschau.de: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted on December 10, 1948 in Paris at the UN General Assembly – without any dissenting votes. Would that still be conceivable today?

Turk: If they wanted to renegotiate it today, I would see a problem. We must preserve, protect and implement human rights. I wouldn’t start a discussion about how to rewrite the explanation. That wouldn’t make much sense.

tagesschau.de: Under certain circumstances there would no longer be a majority?

Turk: There could be problems, yes.

The interview was conducted by Kathrin Hondl, ARD Geneva. The interview was slightly adapted for the written version.