Human Rights 75: opening of the high-level segment

At the Palais des Nations, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration. Alain Berset opens the high-level segment with High Commissioner Volker Türk.

He draws up an assessment that is “at worst negative, at best mixed”: the war in Ukraine, the Middle East, Gaza where “70% of the victims are women and children”, the pressure on democracies. He announces that Switzerland is raising its core contribution to the Office of the High Commissioner to 5.5 million francs a year for the following two years. Last sentence: “Future generations will judge us on the answer we give to this question.”

Speeches on this site

• Ouverture du segment de haut niveau « Droits humains 75 » (in French, French-language page)

Sources

• Federal Council, speech of 12.12.2023