OHCHR / TURK PRESS CONFERENCE

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called on States to do all in their power to end senseless conflicts and suffering. “The cost of war is so high. The human toll is incalculable.” OHCHR / UNTV CH

• Video Length: 00:02:26
• Production Date: 9 December 2024
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: VOLKER TÜRK
• Corporate Name: OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - OHCHR
• Subject Topical: HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
• Geographic Subject: SYRIA; PALESTINE; UKRAINE; LEBANON
• MAMS Id: 3320094
• Parent Id: 3320094
• Alternate Title: unifeed241209b

Description

STORY: OHCHR / TURK PRESS CONFERENCE
TRT: 02:26
SOURCE: OHCHR / UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 09 DECEMBER 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE

Shotlist

FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, exterior

09 DECEMBER 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Wide shot, briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“The cost of war is so high. The human toll is incalculable.”
4. Wide shot, briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“The disregard for international law and apparent indifference to civilian lives and infrastructure have been starkly in focus in the conflict in Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Lebanon, as well as in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar, to name a few very stark examples.”
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“We need to stem the flow of arms into Haiti, Sudan and Myanmar; to put on notice those providing arms, including to Israel and non-State armed actors in Lebanon, Syria, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, that international law requires States to exercise care that weapons they provide are not used to commit violations. We need to insist that it is not okay, and not legal, to use anti-personnel mines in Ukraine, it is not okay to provide them for use there, and it is not okay to reduce the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.”
7. Wide shot, briefing room
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity must be restored.”
9. Wide shot, briefing room
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“Any political transition must ensure accountability for perpetrators of serious violations, and guarantee that those responsible are held to account. It is imperative that all evidence be collected and preserved meticulously for future use. Reform of the security apparatus will be key. This transition must also ensure that the tragedy of missing people is addressed.”
11. Wide shot, briefing room
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“Human rights are not abstract ideas or ideologies. They are about who we are, and how we live. They are grounded in facts, in law and in compassion. They embody our needs and our hopes.”
13. Wide shot, briefing room

Storyline

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday (Dec 9) called on States to do all in their power to end senseless conflicts and suffering.

“The cost of war is so high. The human toll is incalculable,” Türk told a press conference in Geneva, ahead of Human Rights Day on 10 December. He noted that 2024 has been marked by horrific numbers of people killed and severely injured in conflict, on and off the battlefield.

“The disregard for international law and apparent indifference to civilian lives and infrastructure have been starkly in focus in the conflict in Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Lebanon, as well as in Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar, to name a few very stark examples,” he said.

“We need to stem the flow of arms into Haiti, Sudan and Myanmar; to put on notice those providing arms, including to Israel and non-State armed actors in Lebanon, Syria, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, that international law requires States to exercise care that weapons they provide are not used to commit violations. We need to insist that it is not okay, and not legal, to use anti-personnel mines in Ukraine, it is not okay to provide them for use there, and it is not okay to reduce the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons,” he said.

The High Commissioner highlighted developments in Syria, where he said, a regime had been driven from power following decades of brutal repression, and after nearly 14 years of relentless conflict.

The human rights of all Syrians must be at the core of any transition, through meaningful and inclusive participation, including notably of women and young people, he said. “Syria’s sovereignty, unity independence and territorial integrity must be restored.”

“Any political transition must ensure accountability for perpetrators of serious violations, and guarantee that those responsible are held to account. It is imperative that all evidence be collected and preserved meticulously for future use. Reform of the security apparatus will be key. This transition must also ensure that the tragedy of missing people is addressed,” Türk stressed.

The High Commissioner also highlighted the viral spread of disinformation on social platforms and in some traditional media, including State-sponsored and State-funded disinformation campaigns, is sowing divisions and hatred, and discrediting human rights defenders, independent journalism and international institutions.

Faced with so many challenges, we cannot lose the profound values and principles underpinning human rights, the High Commissioner said.

“Human rights are not abstract ideas or ideologies. They are about who we are, and how we live. They are grounded in facts, in law and in compassion. They embody our needs and our hopes,” he said.