Wars, Racism, Shrinking Civic Space Threaten Human Rights, Delegates Warn as Third Committee Opens General Debate
From wars in Gaza and Ukraine to sanctions, racism and shrinking civic space, delegates opening the Third Committee’s general debate today warned of mounting threats to human rights, as calls for accountability competed with concerns over politicization and double standards.
Protecting human rights amid conflict and inequality emerged as a central theme, with delegates spotlighting colonialism and slavery, threats to civil society and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies.
Thirty years after the World Summit for Social Development, poverty, inequality, exclusion and barriers to decent work persist, said Uruguay’s delegate, speaking for the Group of 77 and China. “The legacy of colonialism, slavery and systemic exploitation has created deep-rooted global inequalities that persist across generations,” she observed, stressing that reparatory justice requires structural reforms in global governance, trade, debt and finance.
Picking up that thread, Jamaica’s delegate — speaking for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) — warned that racism, discrimination and xenophobia remain worldwide and are being intensified by digital technologies and AI. The Durban Declaration must continue to underpin efforts to create a more equitable world, she said, calling for action on the historical injustices inflicted on people of African descent through colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade.
Gaza, Ukraine Expose Geopolitical Divisions over Human Rights
Yet geopolitical divisions surfaced, with Gaza, Ukraine and the international human rights system dominating several interventions. Speaking for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Egypt’s representative condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory and categorically rejected “any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians from their homeland”. Settlement expansion, land confiscation, settler terrorism and attempts at annexation are “null and void under international law”, he asserted. He warned that Islamophobia “threatens peaceful coexistence and social cohesion”. He also condemned atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, urging action to end their stigmatization and enable their safe and dignified return.
Israel’s representative urged delegates to challenge false narratives, stressing that words spoken in the halls of the United Nations “do not stay here”. He recalled the terror attack aboard a flight from Dubai to Israel, praising the passengers and crew who regained control of the aircraft and enabled its safe emergency landing. Calling the attack “an attempt to destroy peace and normalization”, he asserted that “terror will not determine the future of our region”. The 7 October attack, he added, “left a deep scar on our nation”.
The European Union representative, meanwhile, warned against treating human rights as “a luxury” amid war and instability. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” she said, arguing that peace cannot take root where people live in fear and those in power escape accountability. With rights facing growing pushback worldwide, “it is precisely the wrong time” to weaken the international human rights system. Rather, “it is the time to defend it — and make it work better,” she stressed, adding that, amid a severe United Nations liquidity crisis, UN80 must “strengthen, not weaken” its human rights pillar.
Delegates Warn against Politicization, Double Standards
Cuba’s representative, speaking for a group of 17 countries, rejected double standards in human rights and warned against politicizing “the United Nations human rights machinery”. He condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, including forced displacement and starvation, and called for unhindered humanitarian access. He also condemned Israel’s and the United States’ attacks against Iran on 28 February 2026, which caused civilian deaths.
That charge was echoed by the Russian Federation’s representative, speaking for the Union State of Belarus and his country. Rejecting “double standards”, she said, “human rights issues are used to exert pressure on Governments”, pointing to country-specific resolutions and narratives. She condemned unilateral coercive measures, stressing that sanctions can threaten rights to food, health and even life. She also warned against racism, xenophobia and racial-supremacist ideologies, including Nazism and neo-Nazism.
Sanctions were also front and centre for China’s delegate, speaking on behalf of 28 Member States, who warned that “today’s world is plagued by rampant unilateralism and the raging unilateral coercive measures”. Such measures are a major source of international turbulence and have devastating — “sometimes even life-threatening” — consequences, he said. Compounded by secondary sanctions and overcompliance, they exacerbate humanitarian and economic challenges and threaten food, financial and energy security, while impeding rights to life, health, development and education.
Rwanda’s representative likewise warned that “politicization and selectivity weaken trust in the multilateral human rights system”, insisting that scrutiny must be universal and objective. “There is no single model of democracy,” he said, stressing that accountable governance, equality and the rule of law must remain common principles. National poverty has fallen sharply, lifting some 1.5 million people out of poverty, while Rwanda now hosts over 120,000 refugees and asylum seekers.
Shrinking Civic Space, New Technologies Raise Alarm
Speaking for a cross-regional group of States, Ireland’s representative sounded the alarm over reprisals against those cooperating with the United Nations, warning that civic space is shrinking and transnational repression is on the rise. Individuals and organizations face criminalization, harassment, attacks and surveillance, with counter-terrorism, cybercrime and national security laws increasingly misused to silence them, he said. “Those who raise concerns, provide accountability and expose violations and abuses must be protected, not persecuted,” he stressed, urging safeguards so people can engage with the UN “safely, freely and without fear”.
Finland’s representative similarly warned that mis- and disinformation are being “deliberately weaponized” to distort facts and erode public trust. “There can be no lasting peace without rule of law, justice and accountability,” she stressed, voicing support for the International Criminal Court. Artificial intelligence must remain anchored in human rights, rule of law and meaningful human oversight, she added, while calling for gender equality and an end to gender-based violence.
Switzerland’s representative also warned that human rights are being tested by shrinking civic space, violations and new technologies, stressing that they are “not merely a guiding principle” but legal obligations. With the UN human rights pillar structurally underfunded, he urged adequate resources, stressing that investing in human rights means investing in conflict prevention and peace. Turning to the death penalty, he noted an 80 per cent surge in recorded executions in 2025 and declared: “There can be no justice that kills.”
United States Calls for Leaner, Less Politicized Committee
The representative of the United States said that his country seeks to bring the United Nations “back to basics” — peace, prosperity and sovereignty — by delivering concrete results, reducing bureaucratic bloat and demanding accountability. He called for a leaner General Assembly and Third Committee, including eliminating redundant agenda items, and urged delegates to steer the Committee’s work away from divisive agendas. He also rejected attempts to politicize the Committee’s work.
The Committee also approved its organization of work.