During the opening of the 54th session of the Human Rights Council, the representative warned that the formation of unconstitutional governments like those recently seen in Africa “are not the solution.”
“Instead, we need an urgent reversal of civil governance and open spaces where people can participate, influence, accompany and criticize government actions –or lack of action–,” he said of the military takeover in countries like Niger and Gabon.
The challenges faced by these nations in the Sahel region leave their populations “fighting for daily survival.”
Among other causes, conflicts are aggravated by the consequences of climate change, lack of investment in essential services and weak governance, Türk warned.
Furthermore, he rejected the use of mass-produced lies and disinformation with the help of new technologies and advocated for the right to objective information, not propaganda.
The high commissioner described the high rates of population suffering from hunger and malnutrition as a “collective failure of human rights.”
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), some 600 million people will suffer from chronic malnutrition by the end of the decade, despite the enormous financial and technological resources at our disposal.
Meanwhile, 1.2 billion people, almost half of them children, now live in “acute multidimensional poverty” and risk millions more joining them as a result of climate change, as projected by the World Bank.
To change the gap between rich and poor and the inequalities that prevent humanity from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, Türk recalled the need for a reform of the international financial architecture that offers “fairer agreements on debt relief.” .
He also called for “effectively funded human rights-based climate action” to help developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change, to which they contributed so little, and compensate for the damage caused.
The high commissioner recognized the impact of global conflicts such as that in Ukraine or the increase in tensions between Israel and Palestine on the affected populations.
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