U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during the opening of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, 23 February 2026. EPA/VALENTIN FLAURAUD "The rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force," said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, speaking at the opening of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Human rights are being pushed back deliberately, Guterres said, urging member states not to view international human rights as a menu to pick from.
Guterres strongly defended the U.N. human rights system which is in "survival mode" because of funding cuts, attacks on some of its experts and the United States' withdrawal from one of its key universal rights accountability mechanisms.
"Humanitarian needs are exploding while funding collapses," he said.
The U.N. human rights office, like other parts of the organisation, faces a budget crunch following the decision to cut funding by the United States - the top donor to the U.N. - as well as other governments.
Washington in February paid about $160 million of the more than $4 billion it owes to the U.N., a United Nations spokesperson said on Thursday.
(Reporting by Olivia Le PoidevinEditing by Ludwig Burger)