United Nations – In its most forceful warning so far in hate movements Worldwide, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Human Rights Council of the global body in Geneva on Monday that the world needed to “intensify the fight against the resurgence of neo-Nazism, white supremacy and terrorism. with racial and ethnic motivation “.
“The danger of these hate-driven movements is growing by the day,” said the UN chief, noting that while he believed that they already represented the most significant domestic challenge for several countries, they were also crossing borders and becoming “more than threats of domestic terrorism. They are becoming a transnational threat. “
Guterres addressed the well-documented increase in the impact of racism worldwide, saying: “Individuals and groups are involved in a frenzy of hate – fundraising, recruiting and communicating online both at home and abroad, traveling internationally to train together and networking your hateful ideologies. “
“Very often,” said the secretary general, “these hate groups are hailed by people in positions of responsibility in ways that were considered unimaginable not too long ago.”
For many listeners, including Richard Gowan, Director of the United Nations for the International Crisis Group (ICG), one of the targets of the latter observation was clear.
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“Guterres worked very hard to build a working relationship with Trump during his tenure, which I imagine was often very difficult, and this looks like a reasonably subtle but firm rejection of the former president,” he told CBS News.
“The deepest wells of injustice”
The UN chief’s speech highlighted the “most widespread human rights violation of all: gender inequality”, which he said was “fueled by two of the deepest injustice pits in our world: the legacy of centuries of colonialism; and the persistence, over the millennia, of patriarchy. “
Guterres welcomed President Joe Biden’s commitment to re-engage with the UN and Biden’s choice as UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who is due to be at UN headquarters until Thursday, pending confirmation in the Senate, defends human rights and diversity around the world.
“Guterres has raised these issues before, but he has more political space to highlight these topics now that Biden is in office,” said Gowan.
Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Council that, over the past year, another factor has contributed to inequality, or at least to reveal it within societies: “The pandemic tore off the mask of mortal realities of discrimination; deep inequalities; and chronic underfunding of essential services and rights, all of which are largely ignored by many policymakers. ”
With his comments to the Human Rights Council, the UN chief sought not only to highlight what he considers the increase in human rights abuses, but to unite leaders to work against it: “When we allow defamation for any of us, we set the precedent for the demonization of us all. “