UN human rights Chief, Volker Türk has sounded alarm over a “fundamental shift” in the US.
Türk said in comments to the UN human rights council that there had been bipartisan support for human rights in the US for decades but said he was “now deeply worried by the fundamental shift in direction that is taking place domestically and internationally.”
Without referring to Donald Trump by name, Türk criticised the US President’s measures to overturn longstanding equity and anti-discrimination policies, as well as repeated threats against the media and politicians.
“In a paradoxical mirror image, policies intended to protect people from discrimination are now labelled as discriminatory. Progress is being rolled back on gender equality.
“Disinformation, intimidation and threats, notably against journalists and public officials, risk undermining the work of independent media and the functioning of institutions, Divisive rhetoric is being used to distort, deceive and polarise. This is generating fear and anxiety among many.”
Volker Türk
He stated that his office will continue building on its long history of constructive engagement on these issues and more.
Since returning to power, Trump has continued to attack the press.
Last month, he barred the Associated Press news agency – on which local and international media have traditionally relied for US government reporting – from the White House.
His administration has sent panic through communities with its widespread and muddled immigration crackdown.
Internationally, the US has moved to withdraw funding for international organisations that promote health and human rights, such as the World Health Organization, and imposed economic sanctions on the international criminal court, which is investigating war crimes in Gaza.
Washington’s traditional allies, including Canada, France and Germany, are feeling increasingly alarmed as Trump lashes out at democratic leaders while expressing a fondness for autocrats, including the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
Period Of Turbulence And Unpredictability
In his speech, Türk presented a concerned overview of the global rights situation, saying the world is “going through a period of turbulence and unpredictability.”
“[What] we are experiencing goes to the very core of the international order – an order that has brought us an unprecedented level of global stability. We cannot allow the fundamental global consensus around international norms and institutions, built painstakingly over decades, to crumble before our eyes.”
Volker Türk
He called out the growing influence wielded by “a handful of unelected tech oligarchs” who “have our data: they know where we live, what we do, our genes and our health conditions, our thoughts, our habits, our desires and our fears.” Türk added, “They know how to manipulate us.”
He emphasized that any form of unregulated power can lead to oppression, subjugation, and even tyranny “– the playbook of the autocrat,” adding, “We must adapt – fast.”
He added that states must fulfil their duty to protect people from unchecked power, and work together to achieve this.
While his comments were not directed at the US, they come at a time of rising and consolidated power among American tech and social media billionaires who have fallen in line behind Trump.
They include Elon Musk, who owns X and has been the 78-year-old President’s most prominent backer, but also Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, who has ended factchecking programmes on Facebook and Instagram – a move the UN chief, António Guterres, has warned will open the “floodgates to more hate, more threats, and more violence.”
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