High Commissioner speaks at Athens University Law School on Law, Justice, and Human Rights

Distinguished Professors,

Dear students, dear faculty, dear friends, 

Kalispera [Good evening].  

It’s a great pleasure to be here with you today at Athens University, the oldest university in modern Greece and indeed in the Eastern Mediterranean. Nobel Prize laureates, Prime Ministers and Presidents, groundbreaking scientists and visionary writers and poets have walked these halls.

And today, they are filled with Greece’s lawyers, leaders, and human rights activists of today and tomorrow. 

I have a deep love for Greece and its people. I visit every year; it is the place where I reconnect with nature, the air and the sea, and I have an abiding love of Greek culture.

The work of Nobel laureate Giorgos Seferis is a particular favourite. His themes of displacement, exile, longing and loss resonate strongly today as we see increased displacement across the globe.

But that is not a coincidence. Seferis’ poetry reflects Greek culture and Greece’s place in the world, as a bridge between Europe, the Middle East and Asia. 

As a great seagoing nation, Greek sailors and explorers travelled and formed communities around the Mediterranean Sea and across the world.

Meanwhile, Turks, Jews, Central Asians, people from the Caucasus, the Middle East, North Africa and beyond have formed vibrant communities in Greece.

Giorgos Seferis was himself born in Smyrna, in present-day Türkiye, and another great poet that I admire, Constandinos Cavafy, was born in Alexandria, in Egypt. The Turkish leader, Atatürk, was born in the melting pot of Thessaloniki.

Before the Nazi occupation of Greece, Thessaloniki was one of the centres of European Jewish culture.  The Holocaust Museum that is finally under construction there speaks to Greece’s determination to honour those killed and to recognize the crimes of the past. This is extremely important at a time when Holocaust denial and other forms of antisemitism are increasing across Europe. 

And we should not forget that tens of thousands of Greek refugees fled the Nazi occupation to Egypt, Syria and beyond. I remember and was deeply moved by a picture of Greeks who sought shelter in Damascus. There is nothing new under the sun, as they say.  

The links and cross-fertilization between peoples are part of what makes Greek culture so beautiful, diverse and rich. Today, when people are building walls rather than bridges, we cannot allow this to be forgotten. 

Dear students,  

Many years ago, I was one of you – a law student. I believed then, as I still believe today, that law is fundamental to civilized societies. Laws are the means by which we translate our common values into reality; the formal expression of some of humanity’s deepest beliefs and hopes. 

As a student, I was profoundly influenced by the ancient Greek philosophers and their focus on justice and ethics, on moral integrity and on critical self-inquiry. Their idea that certain protections for people have always existed, without depending on any kind of formal law, is a clear forerunner to the modern understanding of human rights inherent to all people. 

In today’s world, the rule of law is there to protect the vulnerable; prevent discrimination, harassment and other abuses; resolve disputes; and defend against atrocity crimes, up to and including genocide. It fosters trust in each other and in public institutions and supports strong, cohesive, resilient communities and societies.

My own studies led to the realization that law is inseparable from the realization of the rights that are inherent in each and every human being. This simple but powerful idea has guided my life and career ever since. 

Dear students, 

The education you receive here in this institution is not only about facts, but about values; it is not just about how the world works, but how we treat one another. 

We need that focus more than ever. 

A human rights crisis is unfolding around the world today, as challenges combine in new and alarming ways. 

Not far from here, across the Mediterranean Sea, a horrific war has been raging for more than a year as Israel remains locked in conflict with Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups in Gaza. It is clear that there can be no justification for the atrocities committed by Hamas and others against Israelis on 7 October last year. It is equally clear that there is never justification for collective punishment of civilians.

My UN colleagues working in northern Gaza describe conditions there as apocalyptic. 

More than 43,000 people have been killed since the conflict exploded last October, and nearly two million Palestinians have been forced from their homes, many multiple times. Palestinian armed groups continue to hold hostages, to operate among civilians, and to fire rockets into Israel, in flagrant violation of international law. 

Meanwhile in Sudan, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis is currently unfolding – a situation equally deserving of the world’s attention. Unfortunately, we hardly see anything written about Sudan. Rival leaders have launched an all-out bloody conflict over power and resources, fuelled by longstanding impunity, competing economic interests, and the instrumentalization of ethnic tensions. 

In Ukraine, tomorrow it will be 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion, and we see terrible devastation and recurring human rights violations. Massive attacks on civilian infrastructure and energy systems raise serious concerns for people’s lives and livelihoods, especially those who are elderly or disabled, facing a harsh winter without energy.

I have warned many times that the grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law being committed in these conflicts may amount to war crimes, and other atrocity crimes. 

From Gaza to Sudan and Ukraine, from Myanmar to the Democratic Republic of Congo, parties to armed conflict are riding roughshod over the laws of war, which are 160 years old. 

Civilians are targeted, hospitals destroyed, aid workers attacked, humanitarian access refused.

Violations of human rights are leading to greater violence and deeper brutalization. They are eroding international legal norms that were created to prevent humankind from destroying itself.  And they are creating a legacy of trauma and grievances that will last generations.

Today’s conflicts are also forcing record numbers of people to flee across borders, sometimes to countries where again they risk demonization simply on the basis of their nationality or religion. 

Dear friends, 

Beyond the intensification of conflict, several other global trends have a devastating impact on human rights around the world. 

A financial crisis and a debt disaster, combined with the accelerating impact of climate change, are impoverishing many countries, particularly those in the Global South. 

I’m sure many of you grew up in the shadow of Greece’s own economic crisis. You know that red figures on a State’s balance sheet can translate into a sudden shift in the lives of ordinary people – towards poverty, lost jobs and healthcare, and hopelessness.    

That is now happening across the developing world. Global plans to reduce hunger by 2030 are slipping out of reach as the gains made since 2005 have essentially been wiped out. 

Many of the same countries struggling with this financial crisis are also being battered by climate chaos. Across a broad swathe of Africa, droughts are reducing harvests and making farming unsustainable. 

This human rights crisis may not always make the headlines, but it is having a deadly impact. People are dying, communities are suffering, and there is little hope on the horizon. 

Small wonder that people are prepared to risk their lives on dangerous journeys across deserts and seas, in search of a better future – a profoundly human drive which has motivated people since time immemorial. 

Dear students, friends,

A further global threat to human rights comes from the rise of authoritarianism and populism, often based on divisive and polarized narratives. 

Racism, antisemitism, anti-Islamic rhetoric, xenophobia and hate speech plague our societies, rooted in entrenched power structures, and with extraordinary reach on social platforms. 

But we know where this leads. Hate speech is a clear precursor to hateful actions, including harassment, intimidation and violence. Irresponsible leaders who think they can harness hate for their own ends are playing with fire.  

Patriarchal stereotypes that discriminate against women, girls and non-binary people are part of that authoritarian toolkit. Sexual violence remains rampant, and women’s sexual and reproductive health rights are being rolled back. 

Afghanistan is the most extreme example of state-sponsored misogyny and indeed gender apartheid. 

Meanwhile, more and more governments are imposing restrictions on the media, non-governmental organizations and other civil society, including human rights defenders. And new technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, offer new tools for the spread and reinforcement of disinformation, to interfere with elections, and to subject people to surveillance on a massive scale. 

I admit I have painted a concerning and even disturbing picture. To quote Giorgos Seferis, “We are lost because we have been unjust.” We are failing to respect and deliver on human rights – and the consequences are clear. 

But I want to assure you that it is not too late. 

All these challenges were created by humankind. And there are effective, proven solutions that are also centred on humankind. The antidote is the same. 

Human rights can guide us through the fog of conflict, crisis and uncertainty. They provide a compass and a roadmap to navigate war and violence, to protect the vulnerable, and to provide lives of dignity and opportunity for all people.

They represent a normative, legally binding framework that encompasses everyone, everywhere. 

Those rights have already achieved an enormous impact since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was agreed 76 years ago. 

Two World Wars had just been fought in 20 years, at the cost of tens of millions of lives. The appalling systematic genocide of the Holocaust had shocked the world; the atomic age brought weapons that threaten humanity as a whole. 

It was then that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was born, and represented a collective determination to consign such horrors to the past. It aspired to a world in which disputes are resolved peacefully, without resorting to war. 

And over the past 76 years, it has helped to guide great progress. The post-war period saw many colonized countries take back their independence. It saw human rights flourish in protest movements against discrimination on grounds of sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and other factors.  Massive advances were made in social protection, education and health, and labour standards. 

The connection between all this, and your studies, is clear.

Justice is central to human rights, as the only way to end impunity through accountability and remedy. 

Justice and accountability protect human rights by deterring and preventing violations, and by confronting and addressing them when they do happen.

Over the past 76 years, the body of international human rights law, and the laws of war have been developed to prevent and reduce the suffering of civilians caught up in crisis and conflict. 

Institutions of international justice have been established, from the International Court of Justice to the International Criminal Court and the diverse UN and UN-assisted mechanisms. The Human Rights Council, to which I hope Greece will become a member in 2028, its fact-finding missions and Commissions of Inquiry complement these mechanisms, and the national courts of States. 

All countries, as members of the United Nations, have a legal obligation to uphold binding judgements and decisions of international tribunals, in particular the International Court of Justice. 

Criminal accountability for the most serious violations is a cornerstone of our human rights architecture.

Separately, the International Criminal Court is a linchpin of accountability for the worst atrocity crimes and crimes against humanity. We need all countries to back the work of the Court consistently, which is currently unfortunately not the case. 

I am convinced that the human rights ideal has been one of the most constructive movements in human history – and frankly, one of the most successful.

How could the simple text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guide such profound transformation?

Because it is based on a powerful truth: human rights work. They are not an abstraction or a dream, but a concrete solution. They work for peace, for justice, for opportunity. They work for people. And they work for our planet. 

To quote from the Declaration, "recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace.” 

Respect for human rights – all human rights ­– supports societies founded on justice and fairness, economies that are more inclusive, and decision-making that is more participatory and more effective as a result. 

Universality is key to the effective implementation of human rights, which belong to everyone, everywhere. 

I would like to take this opportunity to debunk two myths that challenge this universality. 

First, the myth that human rights are a luxury that poor countries cannot afford, and that we can worry about them when we have peaceful societies and prosperous economies. 

Human rights were designed for a world on its knees, an impoverished world, a world in conflict and chaos. 

That is why my Office’s human rights monitoring and reporting in war zones are so important. Indeed, one understanding of war is that it is the ultimate violation of human rights. 

In Gaza and Israel, in Ukraine, in Sudan, in Myanmar: human rights violations are not separate from the war. They are the war. 

So it stands to reason that ending those violations is the path to sustainable peace. We do not hear enough about peace.

Human rights are also crucial to effective economic systems – from trade treaties to investment agreements, business regulation to development frameworks. And last year I launched the concept of a human rights economy to challenge the current economic thinking, based on models that are no longer fit for purpose, or take into account the human rights obligations States have accepted, especially economic, social and cultural rights. 

A second myth is that human rights are essentially a Western concept, used to oppress and constrain other countries. That is simply not the case.

The drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights transcended geo-political clashes and economic differences. They set aside disputes to reach agreement on a text that represents the collective wisdom of many cultures and histories: 

The African values of interdependence, cooperation and collective responsibility; 

We always hear about the French and American revolutions; but the Haitian revolution against colonialism and racism was also key.

Islam’s emphasis on human dignity and compassionate sharing;  

The freedoms of the Enlightenment; 

The feminism of India's Hansa Mehta, 

The fundamental one-ness of Asian spiritual traditions; 

The insistence on universality and indivisibility of many Latin American voices. 

And much more. 

Everywhere I go, I am reminded of the universality of human rights. When I visited Sudan two years ago, the hopeful voices of civil society, especially women and young people who had overthrown a 30 year old military dictatorship, called out for more human rights.  And just last month, I was in Bangladesh, where a pro-democracy movement inspired by human rights led to a change of government earlier this year.  

Dear students, friends, 

Finally, we come to the question of how these lessons apply to your lives, today.

I’m sure you all have your own thoughts, and I look forward to hearing them. 

But let me propose some ideas. 

At your age, as a law student growing up under the shadow of Austria’s history and complicity during World War II, my university friendships with students from all backgrounds and countries made a deep impression on me. 

For the first time, I understood the importance of a global system anchored in solidarity, fairness and justice – the human rights and justice systems I have just described. 

As a result, I chose to work in the United Nations, for refugees, for humanitarian assistance, and for human rights.

I encourage you to consider making your own contribution to equality and justice, building on your country’s long history of pro-democracy and human rights movements – including the Polytechnic Uprising that you commemorated yesterday. 

Social and economic rights must be upheld – even under austerity measures. Deep cuts to public spending must not have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable people in society – the poor, women and girls, and people with disabilities, and minorities.

Social security systems must be aimed at reducing poverty and inequality, if they are to reinforce social cohesion. Healthcare must be accessible to everyone, including the most isolated and marginalized, in rural areas and on remote islands. 

Media freedom must be protected. Lawsuits must never be used to suppress critical reporting or to pressurize journalists. Surveillance of journalists is a serious infringement on their rights, and we need free and independent media. 

Discrimination against women and girls remains the most prevalent human rights violation in the world. Violence, including femicide, is its most extreme and deadly form. Police and lawyers must be sensitized to how these crimes affect survivors and victims, and trained to prevent and prosecute them. 

Dear students, 

Some of you will have personal experience or knowledge of rights neglected, denied or violated. Here in Greece, those experiences may be connected with the hardships following austerity measures, or the situation of people on the move, to name just two examples.  

On the latter, of course, the history of the Mediterranean is central to understanding the interconnected roots of many modern societies.

It is all the more tragic that this beautiful sea is being used today to divide rather than unite. 

All countries share responsibility for people fleeing war, extreme poverty, and climate chaos. 

For ensuring that they are safe and their human rights are respected.

And for opening regular routes for migration, so that no one risks their life on such dangerous journeys.

As lawyers, as human rights defenders, and as the gatherers of stories, we cannot forget the lessons of the past or our shared histories. They are part of what connects us and makes us human.  

The countries of Europe are being called on, before the eyes of the world, to stand up for human rights in a very concrete way. 

I urge you as future lawyers – and as human beings – to consider what you can do to support and protect human rights today and in the future.

Strive to ensure that everyone has access to adequate housing, education, health as a matter of right.

Strive to ensure that when things go wrong, that the lessons are learned and that accountability is served.  

Have difficult conversations, even in the face of the strongest disagreement. 

Push for protection for refugees and migrants – and for the civil society organizations that work for their rights. 

Question harmful narratives that vilify vulnerable people.  

And look for ways to build on Greece’s long history of welcome and hospitality – philoxenia – cultural diversity, and mutual respect.

Never underestimate your own personal contribution, which is more important and urgent than you may know. 

History and facts alone do not provide a full answer to today’s challenges. 

And law alone is not the answer. 

Human rights are about facts, law, but also importantly about compassion.

Of these three, compassion may be the most valuable. 

I am deeply impressed by today’s youth-led social movements that are showing new models of leadership with compassion. Which I have seen myself in countries around the world, and in fighting climate change for example. 

You already have everything you need to get involved in shaping your own societies, and our global community.

To quote Giorgos Seferis once again, as he accepted the Nobel Prize: “In our gradually shrinking world, everyone is in need of all the others.” 

I hope you will follow your hearts and trust in your vision of what our world can be. 

Despite all the challenges, I believe that together, we can get to a much better place.