{"id":250716,"date":"2023-02-27T12:24:29","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T17:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/?p=250716"},"modified":"2023-02-27T12:29:24","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T17:29:24","slug":"human-rights-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/77\/2023\/02\/27\/human-rights-council\/","title":{"rendered":"PGA remarks to opening of 52nd session of the Human Rights Council"},"content":{"rendered":"

27 February 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

[As Delivered] <\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you very much Mr. President,<\/p>\n

Mr. Secretary-General,<\/p>\n

Mr. High Commissioner,<\/p>\n

Excellencies,<\/p>\n

Distinguished Delegates,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It is an honour to address the opening of this 52nd<\/sup> session of the Human Rights Council.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We are celebrating the 75th<\/sup> anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This year is also the 30th<\/sup> anniversary of the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And while there is much to celebrate, any festivities are clearly superseded by the reality of a world in a state of disarray.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We are facing unprecedented, cascading, and interlocking crises.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In fact, we have been acquainted to a prototype of the Anthropocene era crisis.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first time in the history of humankind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As we gather today, we are far from recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Over 70 countries are in debt distress.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Women and girls remain systematically marginalized in many countries.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We simply are not on track to achieve the 2030 Agenda.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At this moment, armed conflicts have risen after a relatively steady decline.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of these is an aggression from a Permanent Member of the Security Council against a neighbouring Member State.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This has effectively paralyzed the Security Council.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In sum, what we are experiencing is precisely the interlocking nature of the challenges we face \u2013 calling us to galvanise integrated solutions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This Council, like the General Assembly, is at a crossroads.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Will it go about business as usual, compounding the crisis of trust in multilateralism?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Or will it translate the political consensus on the need to cooperate into transformative solutions?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Excellencies,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today I want to advocate for a transformation of how we do things.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I am calling for a fundamental shift in how we manage interlocking crises.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nowhere is this more apparent than in tackling climate change.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Climate change \u2013 the crisis of this generation \u2013 threatens human rights to water and sanitation, food, health, adequate housing, and self-determination, even.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Climate change is already threatening the right to life of many.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Integrating the grim reality of climate change with the insecurity of human rights, the General Assembly, following the lead of this Council, recognized that a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, what does this really mean?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some Member States have signaled that a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is not really a human right, but a galvanized political sentiment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Others have indicated that it is absolutely a human right, worthy of implementing legislation and action.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yet others go further and believe that a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a human right, but is collective rather than individual.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some scholars say it is both.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I welcome the fact that these discussions exist, and I call on this Council to help us go further.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After all, all human rights have their origin in political recognition.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dear friends,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Human rights violations exist in every country. No State has a perfect track record.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In times of crisis, governments must prioritize.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In this watershed moment, we must take a step back and recognize that the crises we face are human crises.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Once we do that, we notice that solutions that do not respect human rights are not solutions at all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Transformation will require the acknowledgement that the effective fulfilment of human rights will only come about by assuming our responsibilities as governments and as individuals.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As we embark together on this transformation, I urge you to continue to advance the rights of those marginalised and in vulnerable situations.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And to ensure that women are fully, equally, and meaningfully involved in decision-making.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

8 billion people rely on this body to address human rights violations, to support the victims, and to hold the perpetrators accountable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Please harness the full power of the treaty body system.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On my side, I will continue to urge the General Assembly to mainstream human rights throughout its work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start conceptualizing prevention as the path towards peaceful and inclusive societies.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My hope is that by addressing the crisis of trust head-on, putting the rule of law front and centre, we will pave the way for the transformation that our societies and our institutions desperately need in this time of crises.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As Nelson Mandela so eloquently expressed, \u201cto deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sadly, that crime has been committed alarmingly often.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As you move forward, please keep this in mind:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Transformation will rest on respect for human rights, or there will be no transformation at all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I thank you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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