Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document that proclaims the inalienable rights which everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Thanks to the Declaration, and States’ commitments to its principles, the dignity of people has been uplifted and the foundation for a more just world has been laid. While its promise is yet to be fully realized, the very fact that it has stood the test of time is testament to the enduring universality of its perennial values. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the first consensus international human rights instrument, which has inspired many constitutions and laws. It has been translated into more than 523 languages including Kinyarwanda.
In Rwanda, this year’s observance is very important for the following reasons:
Firstly, at a time when the international community is requested to engage more than ever in the fight against discrimination in all its forms, intolerance, extremism, ending violations of the rights of women, children, refugees, among many, our world is struck by the Covid-19 pandemic, an unprecedented health and economic crisis.
The Covid -19 pandemic has had a negative impact on economic, social and cultural rights as well as on civil and political rights. Covid-19 has negative repercussions on the rights to work, to health, to education, to food, the free movement of persons and goods and to expression...
The global Covid-19 crisis has been fuelled by deepening poverty, rising inequalities, vulnerabilities, sexual and gender-based violence, structural and entrenched discrimination and other gaps in human rights protection, as well the destruction of our natural environment. In addition, vulnerable people have disproportionally been hit by the pandemics.
The number of vulnerable people, namely the refugees, persons in preventive detention, persons living with disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDS, children and the elderly continue to grow worldwide. All those elements create more fragile, divided and less cohesive societies. This could be exacerbated by heavy-handed security responses, repression, civic and media space restriction, raising nationalism, protectionism and authoritarianism.
Thus, this year’s 72nd anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights theme focuses on "Recover Better, Stand up for Human Rights”. This reiterates the need to build back better as stated by UN Human Rights Commissioner by using Human Rights and the Universal Declaration as a roadmap for the recovery efforts. Indeed, it is in hard times that the promotion and protection of Human Rights are critically essential. Response should be inclusive, and people centered with emphasis on excluded and vulnerable citizens, leaving no one behind.
RL: UN Resident Coordinator Fode Ndiaye, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Johnston Busingye, NHRC Chairperson Mukasine Marie-Claire, Komi Gnondoli UN in Rwanda Senoir HR Advisor.
The theme is an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of human rights in re-building the world we want, re-iterate the messages we pushed at the height of the Covid-19 crisis and reaffirm our interconnectedness and shared responsibility and humanity as human beings. Making the vaccine universal, affordable and accessible will be also an important step in our joint endeavor to build a better world for all.
All the States of the world are concerned by this situation, which undermines several years of progress in the socio-economic fields. The Covid-19 pandemic plunges states into more vulnerability, with shrinking fiscal space, issue of debt sustainability in the context of increasing demand for health, economic stimulus and social protection.
That is why, at international level, the United Nations Secretary-General called upon the governments and organizations to take immediate actions namely the Highest Aspiration – A Call to Action for Human Rights and Indicators for assessing and monitoring human rights implications of Covid-19.
The challenges to overcome are constantly increasing and they require robust efforts. In the Covid-19 Pandemic the whole world learnt the necessity of reinforcing the cooperation among states, enhancing the solidarity among institutions and countries.
The states need more than ever to redouble their efforts to minimize the consequences of Covid-19 and to be prepared to face challenges to achieve socio-economic recovery and build back better.
In Rwanda, in partnership with other development partners and with our donors’ support, the UN has continued to provide financial and technical support to the health preparedness and response plan and the economic and recovery plan.
Up to September, even though we are not a donor, our assistance valued at $19 million and for our ongoing $20 million joint programs on socio-economic response, UN already has mobilized $8.2 million focusing on the gaps and the vulnerable people. UN will continue its efforts including the advocacy regarding the debt management, the implementation of the Integrated National Financing Framework and the vaccine accessibility.
Overall, our UN cooperation framework and its Joint programs continue to focus on supporting the National strategy for transformation and the achievements of the sustainable development goals including social (covering also our assistance to refugees) and economic transformation and transformational governance.
These two months, UN has also been involved in various actions and events related to women and girls during the 16 days of activism, the international day of people living with disabilities, the international conference on population and development (ICPD+5) one year after Nairobi Summit High-level stakeholders engagement and Beijing+25 and UNWOMEN 10 year-anniversary. All these moments have been opportunities to advocate for various HRs.
The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to WFP is also an important moment to increase the fight for ending hunger with its positive leverage effect on various SDGs and peace and development.
UN will keep on enhancing its partnership with the Government, the National Commission for Human Rights, CSOs, NGOs and citizens, to contribute to the promotion of human rights and development grounded on vision 2050 aligned with UN agenda 2030.
Secondly, the celebration of the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights coincides with the upcoming dialog to be engaged between the Government of Rwanda and the Human Rights Council through the submission of the third report of the Universal Periodic Review slated for 20 January 2021.
The national report covers the implementation of civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights, rights of child, women, people with disabilities, refugees, to mention few of them. The participatory process of drafting this national report engaging the national human rights institution, the civil society, UN agencies, the private sector, constitutes a good practice.
This report emphasizes the achievements in development programs, including the level of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, also included in the Rwanda first Voluntary National Review presented in 2019. The NCHR and the UN also sent their observations on the HRs situation.
Thirdly, this year all the actors both rights holders and duty bearers commemorate together in the same location: the National Commission for Human Rights, the Government including the Ministry of justice, the Civil society platform, the NGOs, the private sector, the development partners including the United Nations.
This created a space for various voices to be heard and for dialog to be enhanced and ongoing partnership and coalition to be strengthened. Two important reports: the NHRC assessment of the impact of Covid-19 and human rights and the Economic Recovery Plan gave the opportunity to better understand the large spectrum of human rights and the measures taken by the Government in order to fight the negative impact of Covid-19 while continuing to make the required adjustments.
This pandemic taught us that with strong solidarity, shared responsibility, well-functioning multilateralism and renewed UN, we can build a world that is more resilient, sustainable and prosperous for all. The Decade of action for the agenda 2030, the renewed commitment to multilateralism and the UN 75 anniversary give us a momentum to act with the sense of urgency and scale.
Indeed, Human Rights are key to build the peaceful and sustainable world that we want, not only for ourselves but also for the next generations.
UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda