U.N. chief decries global rise of 'rule of force'

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warns of escalating human rights violations as the "rule of force" undermines international law globally.

The United Nations leader warned Monday (February 23, 2026) that "the rule of force" was spreading, as the powerful trample on international law and wield artificial intelligence and other technologies to attack human rights.

"Human rights are under a full-scale attack around the world," Antonio Guterres told the opening of the U.N. Human Rights Council's annual session in Geneva. "The rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force."

The U.N. secretary-general stressed that "this assault is not coming from the shadows, or by surprise. It is happening in plain sight and often led by those who hold the greatest power".

He did not mention specific situations, although he did voice outrage at Russia's war in Ukraine, where he said more than 15,000 civilians had been killed in four years of violence. "It is more than past time to end the bloodshed," he said. Mr. Guterres also highlighted the "blatant violations of human rights, human dignity and international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory".

He charged that the trajectory in the conflict-torn territories under Israeli occupation was "stark, clear and purposeful: the two-state solution is being stripped away in broad daylight". "The international community cannot allow it to happen," he insisted.

In his final in-person address to the U.N.'s top rights body, Mr. Guterres said the worst conflict-hit areas were not the only places where rights were eroding. "Around the world, human rights are being pushed back deliberately, strategically and sometimes proudly," he said.