Mr. Guterres also highlighted the "blatant violations of human rights, human dignity and international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory". "Around the world, human rights are being pushed back deliberately, strategically and sometimes proudly," he said. The crisis of respect for human rights "mirrors and magnifies every other global fracture", he said, pointing out that "inequalities are widening at staggering speed. What is clear, Mr. Guterres warned, was that "across every front, those who are already vulnerable are being pushed further to the margins". "Democracies eroding, migrants harassed, arrested, and expelled with total disregard for their human rights and their humanity.

Source: The Hindu February 23, 2026 17:10 UTC