End of High-Level Event Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the declaration of Human Rights

More than 16 Heads of State and Government were in Geneva on Tuesday for the culmination of a major meeting on human rights.

The two-day event commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Civil society representatives, human rights defenders and youth leaders were also among some 2,200 people taking part in Geneva, and also at connected events in Bangkok, Nairobi and Panama.

Opening Tuesday’s programme, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stressed the importance of putting a renewed focus on human rights.

“This is a pivotal day. We are here to rebuild a foundation of hope. Hope that we need now, perhaps more than ever, at this sombre moment in history. Disorder and division. Complex and bitter geopolitics. Deepening inequalities. And fear,” said Türk.

“Unbearably, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel – yet again; as well as in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar and far too many other places, conflict, intractable and brutal, is inflicting terrible suffering on civilians, without remorse,” he stressed.

The many crises in the world stem from the failure to uphold human rights.

During the two-day meeting, communities from across the world called urgently for change, proposed transformative ideas and made commitments.

There were some 286 pledges announced by States on a wide range of human rights issues.

These included advancing women’s rights and children’s rights, tangible commitments on climate change, empowering people with disabilities, and ens to ensuring legislative reforms that promise lasting impact on people’s lives.

Four key discussions took place on Tuesday. On peace and security. Digital transformation. Economics and development. Climate change and the environment. And how to make human rights central to all policy-making and action.

Closing the event, the High Commissioner highlighted how this work will continue. The UN Human Rights Office will draw on rich insights and practical recommendations from the wide-reaching conversations throughout this HR75 initiative year to inform a Vision for Human Rights for the next 25 years.

“We must respond to what we have heard the many voices - from every region, every generation – which are demanding hope and change now. We are writing a new narrative for human rights - as the driver of an ambitious agenda of change that has to meet the biggest challenges of our time, the one’s we face now but also the one’s in the future,” Türk said.

There should be no doubt that there is a strong global constituency for rights, he added.

“We remain all of us each other’s best hope.”

Ends

For more information and media requests, please contact:

In Geneva

Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or

Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or

Jeremy Laurence + +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org or

Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org

Tag and share

Twitter @UNHumanRights

Facebook unitednationshumanrights