[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Csaba\u00a0K\u0151r\u00f6si<\/em>,<\/em> President of the 77th<\/sup> session of the General Assembly<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n —-<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n High-level debate of the General Assembly on Equal Access to Justice for All<\/strong><\/p>\n 15 June 2023 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n (As delivered)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n As you heard, today we are brought together under the theme \u201cEqual access to justice for all\u201d.<\/p>\n This is a timely topic indeed. It is, in fact, urgent.<\/p>\n When prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the number of people reported to be lacking equal access to justice had surpassed 5 billion.<\/p>\n A staggering number that, by all probability, has surged further in the wake of the pandemic.<\/p>\n Equal access to justice is a fundamental human right which \u2013 regrettably \u2013 remains an elusive promise for too many around the globe.<\/p>\n Why is the word \u201cequality\u201d so important here?<\/p>\n Allow me to quote directly from Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which celebrates its 75-year anniversary this year:<\/p>\n \u201cAll are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n Equality is the very thing that makes justice just.<\/p>\n And justice is the very thing that makes us human.<\/p>\n As said by Aristotle 2,300 years ago, \u201cAt his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice, he is the worst.\u201d<\/p>\n Equal access to justice is critical to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda not only because of its centrality to SDG16, but also because of our overarching promise to leave no one behind.<\/p>\n It is always the vulnerable within our societies \u2013 women, children, minorities, persons with disabilities, and those most impoverished \u2013 who bear a disproportionate burden of inequality.<\/p>\n And it is only when justice reaches those furthest away, that we know our systems are working.<\/p>\n I recently had the pleasure to visit our colleagues in Vienna, some of whom are here with us today.<\/p>\n There, I stressed that the rule of law is the foundation of the social contract we have drawn up both inside countries and among nations.<\/p>\n But I also stressed that there are many obstacles which hinder access to justice.<\/p>\n Inadequate legislation and policies.<\/p>\n Limited financial resources.<\/p>\n Lack of awareness of the existence of services or how to access them.<\/p>\n Insufficient numbers of qualified justice actors to efficiently deliver services.<\/p>\n So, what can we do to shore up our structures and mechanisms?<\/p>\n To achieve equal access to justice for all, we must place people at the heart of justice systems \u2013 and justice at the heart of sustainable development.<\/p>\n There are several key tenets of promoting access to justice that must be consistently upheld:<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the right to a fair trial,<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the right to legal aid,<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 legal empowerment, and<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the independence of the judiciary.<\/p>\n We must strengthen our institutions and justice systems to be accountable, transparent, and people centered.<\/p>\n We need them to contribute to the rule of law \u2013 not undermine them.<\/p>\n We do this by investing in education, by training judicial authorities, and by continually revising laws and rules, in accordance with best practices \u2013 and the development of our legal standards.<\/p>\n I urge all Member States to start seeing equal access to justice for all as a prerequisite for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.<\/p>\n This mindset shift is a good example of the transformation we need so as to make the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ meaningful for all people.<\/p>\n I urge you to use today\u2019s High-Level Debate to brainstorm how to enact this shift, and to focus on what you want to bring to the SDG Summit in September.<\/p>\n By engaging in meaningful dialogue, and implementing tangible solutions, we can pave the way for a future where access to justice is not a privilege, but an unequivocal right for all.<\/p>\n Let us join forces to cherish justice.<\/p>\n Because justice is, as the old saying goes, \u201cthe truth in action\u201d.<\/p>\n I wish you fruitful discussions and I thank you.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Csaba\u00a0K\u0151r\u00f6si, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly —- High-level debate of the General Assembly on Equal Access to Justice for All 15 June 2023 (As delivered) Excellencies, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Csaba K\u0151r\u00f6si, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly\r\n\r\n----\r\n\r\nMessage on the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO)\r\n\r\n7 April 2023\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nOn this World Health Day, I congratulate WHO on its 75th anniversary.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nOver the course of its history, WHO has contributed to landmark achievements in public health, including the eradication of smallpox, the near eradication of polio and the expansion of childhood immunization, saving millions of lives.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nMore recently, WHO has played a key role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and helped galvanise the most complex vaccination campaign in history. Time and again, WHO has proved that investing in science lies at the heart of reaching our objective of a healthy and prosperous future.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nHowever, the pandemic has disrupted essential health services in most of the countries, shortened life expectancy, and halted progress towards universal health coverage.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nHalfway through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we must redouble our efforts to achieve its goals. \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAs we prepare for the upcoming high-level meetings on health in the General Assembly, let us seize this opportunity to reconfirm our collective pledges and chart new pathways for a healthy and sustainable future.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nOn this day and every day, let us commit to achieve Health for All.","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-254254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-statements","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n