World leaders who met this Tuesday in Geneva on the second day of the high-level event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights called for new containment measures to ensure these guarantees in the current situation of conflict and other challenges protect.
“This is a crucial day. We are here to rebuild the foundations of hope, a hope that we need now, perhaps more than ever, in this dark moment in history,” said Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Human Rights , addressed participants, including leaders from Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Greece, Senegal, Colombia and the Maldives.
Türk highlighted and emphasized unprecedented challenges the need for unity and hope in the face of growing unrest, divisions, geopolitical complexity, rising inequalities and fear.
Trust is in free fall
“Trust in each other and in the institutions that guide us is in free fall,” he warned, citing suffering in conflict zones including the occupied Palestinian territories, Israel, Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar and other regions in those areas where civilians must endure the onslaught of inextricable and brutal conflict.
The High Commissioner once again warned of the setback in the sustainable development agenda, the silencing of public opinion and the urgency of the climate crisis.
“These and other crises are a consequence of the failure to defend human rights. They are not the failure of human rights; They are.” Testimony to the harm that occurs when human rights are ignored and violated“, he claimed.
Türk thanked more than 155 states for the “transformative promises,” with a focus on human rights issues such as women’s rights, children’s rights, climate change and the empowerment of people with disabilities. He also called on world leaders to change their perspective and standpoint Human rights at the heart of policy making and action.
The commitment to promoting human rights
“Human rights are a global public good and as leaders you have a duty to promote them“Türk explained to participants and highlighted four key areas that require immediate attention: peace and security, digital transformation, human rights-based economies and positioning human rights at the heart of environmental policy.
He called on leaders to come together “across diverse societies and systems” to look for areas of agreement and ensure meaningful change. Türk reminded them of the role of their ancestors 75 years ago when they laid the foundation for freedom, justice and peace with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Now it is our turn to take on this profound and visionary task and to ensure that human rights become both the overarching goal and the retaining walls. The principles of human rights are our best solution to this tense and frightened world. I pray.” to revive the spirit, drive and vitality that led to the Universal Declaration 75 years ago“, he emphasized.
The debates
The session discussed how artificial intelligence, surveillance technology, social media platforms and many other new and emerging technologies could be used to ensure that human rights are respected in the way they are developed, used and managed by are of central importance. Technology, including through recent UN initiatives.
Likewise, another session focused on discussing how to ensure the rights of millions of people around the world to food, health, education, drinking water and sanitation.
And as negotiations continued on the COP28 final declaration in Dubai, with environmental activists and many countries calling for a phase-out of fossil fuels, the fourth round table debated the enormous impact of the cumulative climate crisis. The loss of biodiversity and environmental pollution affect the enjoyment of all human rights.
Participants explored ways to promote human rights in the context of the environmental emergency, improve accountability, ensure a just transition, and protect environmental rights defenders.