Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has warned the world in particular ahead of the upcoming elections.
The world is “at a crossroads” and is heading, if it is not careful, towards a “dystopian future” of military escalation, repression and disinformation, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Monday, September 9.
“We can either continue on the current path – a dangerous new normal – and sleepwalk into a dystopian future. Or we can wake up and turn things around for our own good, for humanity and for the planet,” said Volker Türk, opening the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Hate speech and its disastrous consequences
He warned that this “new normal” would be made up of “endless military escalation” and “increasingly horrific and technologically advanced methods of war, control and repression.”
“The new normal cannot be continued indifference to growing inequalities between and within states,” he continued.
Volker Türk also warned against “the widespread spread of misinformation, which stifles facts and the ability to make free and informed choices”: “Heated rhetoric and simplistic solutions erase context, nuance and empathy, paving the way for hate speech and the disastrous consequences that inevitably follow.”
Warning before the next elections
Injustices, climate change that affects those least responsible for it, human rights violations committed in the name of national sovereignty, international standards and organizations under attack… The High Commissioner painted a bleak picture of the world.
But he stressed that “we can and must make a different choice”, being “guided by human rights and the universal values that we all share”.
“Collectively, we should make the choice to reject the new normal and the dystopian future it represents,” he said, calling on citizens around the world to keep these issues in mind and “to be vigilant” when electing leaders.
“With some elections already over and more to come this year, I urge all voters to keep in mind the issues that matter most to them – whether it’s housing, their children’s education, their health or their jobs…” he said.
“Beware of loud voices, of strong men who throw dust in people’s eyes, proposing illusory solutions that deny reality,” warned Volker Türk. “Know that when a group is designated as a scapegoat, you risk one day being the next” on the list, he stressed.
