Climate change, poverty, conflict and rapid technological change are placing mounting pressure on social development and human rights, the Third Committee heard today, amid concerns over the role of the United Nations human rights system and the devastating toll of war on civilians.
The social consequences of environmental change took centre stage, as Mongolia’s representative stressed that “climate change, desertification and land degradation are also deeply social issues”. They affect livelihoods, food security and migration, with rural communities, women and children bearing disproportionate consequences.
For small developing States, those pressures are particularly acute. Suriname’s delegate warned that vulnerable communities remain highly exposed to climate change despite contributing relatively little to global greenhouse gas emissions. “It is not reasonable to expect forest-rich countries to bear these costs alone while the benefits are enjoyed globally,” he stressed, calling for predictable international support.
Thirty years after the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, poverty and inequality remain the greatest global challenge to sustainable development, Gambia’s representative said. Poverty is rising in Africa and across the Global South, with almost 1 billion people approaching extreme poverty due to limited fiscal space and debt-servicing obligations. The international financial architecture exacerbates inequalities and constrains growth, she stressed, calling on countries to turn commitments made in the Pact for the Future into concrete action.
For his part, Belarus’ delegate, speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Family, underscored that “the family is at the heart of development” and should be put at the centre of the UN’s social development policy through support for marriage and motherhood, as well as greater access to housing and employment. Cautioning against “ideological approaches” and “contested concepts”, he added: “A family is not created by a document; it is built through commitment, responsibility, parenthood and care.”
Rights under Pressure Online and Offline
Other speakers turned to groups facing discrimination and exclusion, with several warning that old inequalities are increasingly playing out in the digital sphere. Luxembourg’s representative noted that 65 Member States criminalize same-sex relations, some with the death penalty. “The fact that the letters LGBTIQ+ are so sensitive in negotiations and are gradually disappearing from texts is an alarming indication,” she stated.
Norway’s delegate broadened that concern to the rights of women and girls online. “Human rights are the same, and apply in the same manner, online and offline,” she said, stressing that they must remain at the heart of new technologies, from development to deployment. As civic space shrinks, women in public life face increasing threats of violence, while artificial intelligence and other technologies can expose human rights defenders to harassment, surveillance and transnational repression. States and technology companies must address those risks, she asserted.
The same technologies are creating new avenues for crime and exploitation. Türkiye’s representative pointed to the rapid growth of cybercrime, including ransomware and the sexual exploitation of children online. She welcomed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime as the first global instrument in this area, which her country signed in 2025.
Human Rights System Draws Contrasting Views
Beyond individual rights and emerging threats, speakers also focused on the ability — and legitimacy — of the United Nations human rights system. Liechtenstein’s representative warned that the UN80 Initiative does not sufficiently address human rights, risking further weakening of a pillar that has historically received less than 7 per cent of the Organization’s regular budget and less than 1 per cent of its overall expenditure. He also voiced concern over proposed 2027 budget cuts affecting the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stressing that “adequate funding for […] UN human rights mechanisms is not only essential for justice and accountability but also for the UN’s credibility and effectiveness”.
Others voiced concern over the use of the United Nations human rights system, with the speaker for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea underlining that United Nations human rights bodies serve the political purposes of “certain forces” and interfere in the internal affairs of States. Eritrea’s representative also criticized the use of human rights agendas for political purposes, including punitive measures and country-specific mechanisms directed disproportionately at developing countries of the Global South.
Iran’s representative similarly rejected the use of human rights as an instrument of coercion, declaring that the Third Committee does not exist to “launder the crimes of the hegemonic powers”. Recalling the 28 February attack by the United States and Israel, he said 168 children and teachers were killed in a strike on a school in Minab. “International humanitarian law does not become optional because the perpetrator sits on the Security Council,” he underscored. Criticizing the absence of an emergency debate following the attack, he declared: “Silence, Mr. Chair, is a position. Selective outrage is not a principle. It is complicity dressed as diplomacy.”
‘Wars Must Have Limits’
Drawing attention to populations living through conflict, Yemen’s delegate said the war waged by Houthi militias since 2014 has inflicted severe humanitarian, economic and social consequences on her country. She cited killings, abductions, arbitrary detention and torture in areas under their control, alongside restrictions on freedom of expression, seizure of property and the recruitment of children.
Those consequences extend across a growing number of conflicts worldwide. The observer for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that across some 130 armed conflicts today, “the consequences fall hardest on those already most at risk”. These include sexual violence, child recruitment, attacks on schools and medical personnel and food insecurity. Technology is also facilitating sexual violence and the recruitment of children, including through social media and gaming platforms, he warned.
However, the damage does not end with direct attacks, he continued, adding that conflict can prevent farmers from reaching their fields and disrupt markets, water and energy systems. “We cannot count on humanitarian relief alone to mitigate these impacts,” he said, citing “the absolute prohibition of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare”. Protecting civilians means upholding commitments made under the 1949 Geneva Conventions, he emphasized, urging States to reaffirm a fundamental principle: “Wars must have limits.”