High-Level Segment of the 61st Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council

 Mr. President,

Twenty years have passed from the establishment of this Human Rights Council. Since then, the world has changed radically and multilateralism weakened. “A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies.”[1]

Yet, amidst this shifting landscape, human rights remain the cornerstone of any flourishing society, offering hope and rejecting contempt for the other, brutality, and injustice.

However, the human rights project is currently facing a credibility crisis. The retreat from multilateral frameworks by some States is particularly troubling, as is the erosion of meaning across the multilateral system. 

Trust is eroded when the foundational principles of the system, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Human Rights Covenants and Treaties, are no longer considered as a "shared language" and a "common agenda" but are rather undergoing reinterpretation or selective endorsement. This shift has the potential to have far-reaching consequences, including the breakdown of dialogue and trust, as well as the misallocation of valuable energy and resources that could be used to address the fundamental causes of global suffering.

This issue is further compounded by the ongoing proliferation of so-called "new rights". It is evident that a paradox is being observed, wherein fundamental rights are being restricted under the guise of these so-called new rights. Indeed, as Pope Leo XIV affirms, “in the current context, we are seeing an actual ‘short circuit’ of human rights. The right to freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, religious freedom and even the right to life are being restricted in the name of other so-called new rights, with the result that the very framework of human rights is losing its vitality and creating space for force and oppression. This occurs when each right becomes self-referential, and especially when it becomes disconnected from reality, nature and truth.”[2]

Mr. President,

“The protection of the right to life constitutes the indispensable foundation of every other human right.”[3] This commitment is founded upon the defence of the inalienable dignity of every individual, from the moment of conception to natural death. 

This commitment is evident in the protection of the family, the most fundamental building block of society, where human life is nurtured and developed. It is of paramount importance to counteract the worrying tendency within the international system to neglect and marginalise the institution of the family, mindful that “as the family goes, so too goes the whole world”.[4]

It is also essential to fully guarantee the right to freedom of religion or belief, “the first of human rights [which] expresses the most fundamental reality of the human person”.[5] One of the most prevalent crises in today's world is the ongoing persecution of Christians, affecting over 380 million believers. This unfortunate situation has deteriorated further in 2025 due to the exacerbating factors of conflict and extremism. Moreover, it is crucial to address the phenomenon of “polite persecution” that is spreading in Western societies, where believers are increasingly restricted in living and proclaiming the Gospel, particularly when it comes to defending life from conception to its natural end, the family, or migrants, under the guise of “tolerance”.[6]

Mr. President,

In order to protect the progress of the past eight decades, which has been painstakingly achieved since the establishment of the United Nations, it is necessary to return to the only path with the potential to generate peace: a dialogue firmly grounded in the inalienable God-given dignity of the human person.

Thank you, Mr. President.