AFP, Geneva: The UN rights chief decried yesterday disinformation and other attacks that aim to "undermine the legitimacy" and work of the United Nations and other institutions, describing them as "profoundly destructive".
Speaking at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council's main annual session, Volker Turk slammed widespread "disinformation that targets UN humanitarian organisations, UN peacekeepers and my office".
"The UN has become a lightning rod for manipulative propaganda and a scapegoat for policy failures," he warned.
"This is profoundly destructive of the common good, and it callously betrays the many people whose lives rely on it."
During his opening speech, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that the United Nations was "uniquely equipped to enable states to discuss and resolve pressing global issues".
"This convening power is particularly vital now when the magnitude of conflict, planetary peril and digital transformation requires urgent solutions," he said.
