Rules of war being 'shredded' amid global rights violations, says UN human rights chief

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk (left) delivers a speech next to Human Rights Council President Juerg Lauber during the opening of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in Geneva, on Monday, September 8, 2025. -- Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

GENEVA (Reuters): The United Nations human rights' chief warned on Monday that "disturbing trends", including the glorification of violence and the retreat of some states from the multilateral system, are undermining human rights and the international order worldwide.

"Rules of war are being shredded - with virtually no accountability," said Volker Turk, who heads the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR), in his opening address to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.