The secretary-general of the United Nations holds the world in his hands. It shouldn’t be possible to count those who decide who that is on the fingers of one.

La défense des droits de l'homme sur le terrain est un outil puissant, constamment sous-estimé par les responsables de l'ONU. Le nouveau Haut Commissaire doit renforcer le rôle de son Bureau sur le terrain, mais il ne peut pas être le seul «méchant flic». D'autres organismes des Nations Unies sur le terrain doivent défendre les droits de l'homme. English

Many report a determined pushback from quarters which deny that universal human rights even exist, let alone admit that a growing international framework for upholding these standards is necessary.

A dangerous process is taking place in the UN system that threatens the universality of human rights by seeking to make them contingent on subjective ‘traditional values’ such as ‘responsible behaviour’.