On 14 October, Judge Brien Purcell Horan, Deputy Permanent Observer of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the United Nations, addressed the Third Committee of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on the promotion and protection of human rights, following a briefing by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Volker Türk.

In his statement, Judge Horan reaffirmed the Sovereign Order of Malta’s commitment to protecting human dignity through practical humanitarian action. Drawing on the Order’s nearly nine centuries of humanitarian service, he emphasised that human rights are most urgently at risk in situations of conflict, displacement, disaster and extreme poverty. He stressed that the realisation of human rights depends not only on international commitments, but also on ensuring that people can exercise their rights in practice.

Highlighting the Order’s humanitarian work across more than 130 countries, Judge Horan presented examples of initiatives that translate these principles into tangible assistance. In Lebanon, the Order’s international relief agency, Malteser International, working alongside the Order of Malta Lebanon, supported 85,524 people through healthcare services in 2025, providing 205,996 medical consultations. Mobile clinics helped extend medical care to refugees living in informal settlements, isolated communities and vulnerable host populations.

He also highlighted efforts in Uganda to strengthen emergency medical services for refugees in the Nakivale settlement, through ambulance upgrades and training for local healthcare workers and drivers in emergency care.

These examples illustrated the importance of strengthening local systems, expertise and partnerships to ensure the long-term protection of human rights. Judge Horan underlined the essential role played by local organisations and community-based actors, whose knowledge and relationships within communities enable them to identify those most at risk and help ensure that assistance reaches those in need. He encouraged Member States and international organisations to deepen partnerships with local and national actors as essential contributors to the realisation of human rights.

Judge Horan further expressed concern over the dangers faced by humanitarian and medical personnel, local volunteers, civil society organisations and human rights defenders. He called on Member States to uphold their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, ensure safe and sustained humanitarian access, and strengthen the protection of those providing assistance.

Concluding his statement, Judge Horan emphasised that the effectiveness of the international human rights system must be measured not only by the commitments adopted, but also by whether people facing conflict, displacement and poverty can experience the rights those commitments guarantee. The Sovereign Order of Malta remains committed to translating universal human rights principles into practical action and tangible protection for those whose rights are most at risk.