Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on Monday warned that human rights worldwide are facing unprecedented threats, saying the “rule of force” is gradually replacing the rule of law.

Speaking at the opening of the annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Guterres said the assault on human rights is neither hidden nor subtle, but increasingly open and often led by powerful actors with significant global influence.

He said international law is being increasingly disregarded and that new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are being misused to suppress rights and deepen inequalities.

Referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Guterres stated that more than 15,000 civilians have been killed over the past four years, stressing that “the time has come to end the bloodshed.”

He also criticized what he described as “clear violations of human rights and international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” warning that the two-state solution is seriously at risk of disappearing.

Guterres urged the international community not to allow such trends to continue.

He further warned that rising conflicts, growing impunity, and expanding humanitarian needs have been compounded by cuts in foreign aid from several major donors, making global crises more complex.

“When human rights fall, everything else falls with them,” he said, adding that inequalities are widening at an alarming pace, the climate crisis is intensifying, and democracies are eroding in many countries.

Expressing concern over the situation of migrants, refugees, minorities, and other vulnerable communities, Guterres said these groups are disproportionately exposed to rights violations and called for urgent global action.

Guterres, who is expected to step down later this year after a decade in office, concluded: “We must not allow power to write laws where the vulnerable have no rights and the powerful have no constraints.”