Amid Rising Violent Extremism, Intolerance, Speakers at General Assembly Commemoration Urge Upholding of Key Human Rights Covenants
With violent extremism on the rise and waves of intolerance and hate targeting minorities, migrants and the most vulnerable, the international community must renew efforts to uphold its human rights treaties, the General Assembly heard this morning.
“We live in times when people across our world are being denied their most fundamental human rights,” said Peter Thomson (Fiji), the body’s President, as the Assembly marked the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Warning against greater restrictions on rights and freedoms, he urged Member States to work together to uphold the basics: the right to life, liberty and security; to equality before the law; to gender equality, education and health; to freedom of expression, worship and association; and to freedom from discrimination, torture, slavery and hunger.
Echoing that sentiment, United Nations Deputy Secretary‑General Jan Eliasson said that, in a world of widespread suffering, the fiftieth anniversary was an appropriate moment to rally around the Covenants’ principles and vision. The 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development provided a timely global blueprint to implement the Covenants in a deeper sense. Human rights were not only interrelated, interdependent and inalienable; they formed the very bedrock of a humane world.
Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, credited the Covenants with being a lifeline for millions of women, men and children over the past 50 years. However, with the current state of the world, “will it be our generation that breaks away from the human rights principles drawn up to save the world from the horror of the past?,” he asked, warning that “in a tide of hatred and divisiveness, deep and vital principles may be swept away unheeded”.
Some speakers stressed that even the most basic human rights could not be fully realized without taking into account civil liberties, with Waleed Sadi, Chair of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, saying that one could not enjoy the right to food, work, housing, education or health, if the political environment was not appropriate for their enjoyment.
Fabián Omar Salvioli, Chair of the Human Rights Committee, called for more unity and collaboration, urging Member States to leave behind “artificial divisions” for a pro‑person approach and universal ratification of both instruments.
Kuwait’s representative, speaking on behalf of Asia‑Pacific States, said that faced with ongoing global conflicts and a staggering 65.3 million refugees and internally displaced persons, the fiftieth anniversary of the Covenants was a reminder of the obligation to defend each individual’s basic human rights.
Special attention must be given to the world’s most vulnerable, Chile’s delegate, speaking for Latin American and Caribbean States, said, calling for the empowerment of all women and girls and the protection of rights of children, persons with disabilities, indigenous people and people of African descent, migrants and the elderly.
The United Kingdom’s representative, speaking on behalf of Western European and other States, said that people expected accountability from their Governments. To that end, national Governments, international organizations and civil society had to work together to protect and strengthen human rights and to work with countries that had yet to sign or ratify the Covenants.
Also speaking today were representatives of Georgia (on behalf of Eastern European States) and the United States (speaking as the Host Country).
The General Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 20 October, to take up the commemoration of the abolition of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.
Opening Remarks
PETER THOMSON (Fiji), President of the General Assembly, said that, since the Assembly had adopted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 50 years ago, those instruments had become cornerstones of both international law and the international human rights framework, based on the fundamental recognition of the universality, indivisibility and interdependent nature of human rights. The Covenants had helped to shape national constitutions and laws, policies and justice systems.
Nevertheless, he said, “we live in times when people across our world are being denied their most fundamental human rights”. Violent extremism was on the rise and waves of intolerance and hate were targeting minorities, migrants and the most vulnerable. Greater restrictions were being placed on the most basic rights and freedoms: the right to life, liberty and security; to equality before the law; to gender equality, to education and health; to freedom of expression, worship and association and to freedom from discrimination, torture, slavery and hunger. Todays’ commemoration was a timely reminder of the power of the two Covenants to ensure that States upheld those rights for all people.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was premised on the fundamental recognition of human rights, he continued. Taking a comprehensive and integrated approach to development, the agenda – whose mantra was “leave no one behind” - encapsulated the indivisibility and interdependence of the rights set out in both Covenants. In that regard, he called on all Member States that had yet to ratify either or both of those instruments to take the opportunity of the fiftieth anniversary year to do so. “The promotion and protection of human rights is a commitment that requires constant vigilance by us all”, he concluded.
JAN ELIASSON, Deputy Secretary‑General of the United Nations, delivering a statement on behalf of the Secretary‑General, said the adoption of the two Covenants had galvanized the consensus view that the protection and realization of human rights was fundamental to building resilient, inclusive and peaceful societies. They had guided national and regional courts and provided a normative foundation for the work of national independent human rights institutions. They had also confirmed a common universal language of human rights, at the heart of which remained the right to life. The abolition of the death penalty had advanced significantly but more remained to be done to end the inhumane practice of executions.
The Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights were crucial for supporting and guiding States in their implementation of human rights, he said. They helped victims in many countries seek remedies where rights were breached. The goal was universal ratification of the Covenants, including the right of petition under their Optional Protocols and their full and effective realization for all people. Serious human rights violations remained a huge challenge, he said, emphasizing the need to protect civil liberties in the fight against terrorism, prevent famine, and uphold social protection even in troubled economic times. It was also critical to respect religious freedoms and shield everyone, especially women and children, from all forms of violence.
In a world of widespread suffering, the fiftieth anniversary was an appropriate moment to rally around the Covenants’ principles and vision, he said, adding that the 2030 Agenda provided a global blueprint to implement the Covenants in a broader and deeper sense, while the Covenants supported stronger accountability of the Sustainable Development Goals. In parallel, the United Nations Human Rights Up Front Initiative aimed to enhance the ability to prevent and respond in a timely fashion to serious violations. All human rights were universal, interrelated, interdependent and inalienable; they formed the bedrock of a humane world.
ZEID RA’AD AL HUSSEIN, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the Covenants distilled the bitter lessons of warfare, genocide, colonial oppression and economic devastation into a legal code, establishing a blueprint for a more peaceful world. That blueprint enabled opportunities and ensured that every individual and society could develop its full potential. At a time of increasing turmoil, the international community was able to take stock of what those binding agreements had helped build. “We can fulfil their pledge,” he said, adding that the entire world’s people had the right to life and to be free of torture, slavery and discrimination. “These are not empty words, but rights,” he said, emphasizing that every State had committed to be held accountable by its people in ensuring their rights were respected.
The Covenants had been the lifeline for millions of women, men and children over the past 50 years and continued to serve as fundamental principles today, he said. The 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement had both been heavily influenced by the Covenants’ principles. At the same time, with the current state of the world, “will it be our generation that breaks away from the human rights principles drawn up to save the world from the horror of the past?,” he asked the Assembly Members, warning that “in a tide of hatred and divisiveness, deep and vital principles may be swept away unheeded”. In that context, the treaty body system was deeply needed as it offered States a path toward greater stability, not less.
FABIÁN OMAR SALVIOLI (Argentina), Chair of the Human Rights Committee, said the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the two international human rights Covenants was a historic moment. In 1966, then Secretary‑General U Thant had underscored that the two pacts had been adopted unanimously, which underscored the positive leadership of Member States. Describing progress achieved over the last 50 years and the increasing willingness of States to work on issues of human rights, he said the Human Rights Committee had worked to contribute to the volume of jurisprudence on human rights. It had interpreted the application of the Covenants, conducted reviews and drafted concluding observations, and its work had been used by such bodies as the Human Rights Council in the course of their work.
Outlining some of the Committee’s other major achievements, he spotlighted the adoption of various General Comments, which had served as a useful guide to Member States. Some 35 General Comments had been adopted to date and the Committee was currently working on one concerning the right to life. Noting that significant challenges lay ahead in today’s increasingly complex world, he said the Covenants had set out a roadmap to recover the universal values of interdependence and indivisibility. “We must leave behind artificial divisions,” he warned, calling for a pro‑person approach and for universal ratification of both instruments. In addition, States should submit their reports to the Committees in timely and actively support the bodies with sufficient resources to fulfil their mandates.
WALEED SADI (Jordan), Chair of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, said the two basic human rights instruments complemented one another in every sense of the word. They had also delivered full expression to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which did not deal with the two dimensions of human rights separately but rather jointly. The international community now adhered to the proposition that human rights were interdependent and inseparable from one another. The two Covenants aimed to address civil and political rights in conjunction with economic, social and cultural rights. The two instruments demonstrated that the international community could not fulfil their mandates separately from one another but rather only in unified context in order to give their joint and combined message full expression.
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had repeatedly discerned that rights could not be fully realized without taking into consideration civil and political contexts, he said. Indeed, one could not enjoy the right to food, work, housing, education or health, if the political and civil environment was not appropriate for their enjoyment. Otherwise the denial of one set of rights stood to frustrate and impede the realization and respect of the other set of rights. Emphasizing that the Covenants were “two wings of the same bird”, he called for increased collaboration and cooperation between his Committee, the Human Rights Committee and treaty bodies.
Statements
MANSOUR AYYAD SH A ALOTAIBI (Kuwait), speaking on behalf of Asia‑Pacific States, said the Covenants recognized the human rights of every human being and it was every State’s obligation to promote and preserve those rights. Since their inception 50 years ago, the Covenants distinctly enveloped those ideals and goals. With the ongoing global conflicts and a staggering 65.3 million refugees and internally displaced persons, the world was facing significant challenges and the need for peace and security was very evident. All States were encouraged to carry out the goals embodied by the Covenants and reach for a world free of fear and violence. The fiftieth anniversary was a reminder of the obligation to protect and defend each individual’s basic human rights and the need for administrative and legislative steps to preserve those rights, as stated in the treaties, “thus reinforcing the aspirations of each and every human being to live with dignity, peace and security, as we all rightfully deserve,” he said.
KAHA IMNADZE (Georgia), speaking on behalf of Eastern European States, welcomed the holding of today’s timely meeting to underscore the universal, inalienable, interdependent and indivisible nature of all human rights set forth in the Covenants. He reaffirmed strong commitment to both instruments and recalled the primary responsibility of States to promote and protect fundamental freedoms. Fifty years ago, the Covenants set out the civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights which were the birth right of all human beings. During the last five decades the world had dramatically changed. Increased threats and pressing challenges once again underscored the international community’s role in ensuring better protection of human rights.
Millions of people, especially children, women and persons with disabilities, continued to suffer from violence, discrimination, exploitation and abuse, he said. Thousands still suffered from grave human rights violations during conflicts. The Eastern European States strongly believed that every individual deserved to enjoy both sets of rights provided by the Covenants without discrimination based on any ground, be it race, sex, language, religion, political affiliation or national origin. Special attention must be paid to the most vulnerable groups. It was critical to take effective steps to protect human rights and strive towards achieving the 2030 Agenda.
CRISTIÁN BARROS MELET (Chile), speaking on behalf of Latin American and Caribbean States, said countries in his region placed equal emphasis on the importance of all human rights ‑ civil, political, economic, social and cultural ‑ and the duty of all States to respect and promote them in order to build peaceful and inclusive societies. Closely linked to that was also the right to development as an integral part of the “human rights corpus”, he said, noting that the 2030 Agenda adopted last year recognized the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights treaties. Implementing measures to effectively protect and promote the human rights of vulnerable people and groups would continue to be the priority of Latin American and Caribbean countries, which aimed to fully realize all human rights enshrined in the Covenants. Special attention would be given to the empowerment of all women and girls, the rights of children, persons with disabilities, indigenous people and people of African descent, migrants and the elderly to ensure that all could live in a region with greater equality, justice, security and well‑being.
PETER WILSON (United Kingdom), speaking on behalf of Western European and other States, said the Covenants marked a turning point in States’ formal recognition of the rights of every individual and the belief that every person was born with equal rights — civil, political, cultural, economic and social — and should be able to exercise those rights without fear of persecution or oppression. The anniversary of the Covenants was a time to take stock of the global human rights situation and work together. Human rights were under threat in too many States and the fight against terrorism or cultural relativism was used to justify human rights violations. It was the international community’s responsibility to defend the universality of human rights enshrined in the international treaties.
The Covenants’ significance was self‑evident, he said, adding that the most unstable and insecure regions were where the principles enshrined in the Covenants were neglected or opposed; where inequality and prejudice were most prominent; and where oppression was rife. People expected accountability from their Governments and freedom and dignity for themselves. National Governments, international organizations and civil society had to work together to protect and strengthen human rights and to work with countries that had yet to sign or ratify the Covenants.
SARAH MENDELSON (United States), speaking as the Host Country, said the two human rights covenants were central to achieving the goals enshrined in the United Nations Charter. In signing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1977, then United States President Jimmy Carter had recognized sharp limits on the power of Presidents over their own people, she said, noting that the country strongly supported the goals set out in both Covenants. The United States had been a strong supporter of the Universal Periodic Review process, which helped Member States to improve their domestic human rights situations. For its part, her country had established six working groups on a range of human rights issues, including immigration, labour and the environment. Societies became more resilient, inclusive, tolerant and prosperous when their people could exercise the fundamental freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and religion, when they had access to a wide range of information and when laws were instruments of justice instead of repression.