On February 25, 2019, the United Nations Secretary-General, H.E.António Guterres,delivered a speech at
the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC40), highlighting what he considered to be the most
pressing human rights issues of our time. In his speech, he made clear that ‘human rights [are] a template
for building resilience and preventing crises.’
This assignment requires that you analyze Secretary-General Guterres’ speech in light of topics and
themes that have been covered in this course. A copy of the speech is attached to this document and can
also be found here: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2019-02-25/remarks-the-human-
rights-council. A video of the speech will also be posted on OAKS in a new “Final Paper Assignment”
folder under the Content tab.
Instructions for Preparation
As you analyze the speech, please address the following three points:
1.Contextualize the speech.What role does the Human Rights Council play within the UN system? What is
the purpose of this speech? Who is the speaker and who is the audience?
2.Summarize the main points of the speech. What are the major human rights challenges facing the world
today and what needs to be done to address them, according to Guterres?
3.Discuss which argumentyou find to be the most pressing for our international community and explain
why, using theories and concepts we have covered in class. For example, you might consider how certain
issues relate to histories of colonialism or forms of cultural, economic, or political imperialism. [Given
space constraints, I would suggest that you focus on just one of Guterres’ arguments]
Sample Solution