The United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on journalists to ensure that large-scale human suffering in forgotten crises around the world does not go unreported and that “the demands of the people are amplified so that those with the power, influence and the funds hear it to make a difference.” The comments came on the eve of today’s Human Rights Day, as Mr. Türk launched a yearlong campaign to mark the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago.
The high commissioner said human rights violations must be of concern to everyone. He noted that expressions of alarm and offers of aid must not be restricted to heartbreaking headline events, such as the war in Ukraine or the sanctioned killings of protesters by state security forces in Iran. The high commissioner said he hopes the campaign, marking the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, will renew people's awareness and commitment to human rights and rekindle the vision that inspired the document.
“But even where the challenges seem intractable, if the leaders in politics and society would only center their responses on human rights, the solutions will be always within sight”, Mr. Türk noted.
The high commissioner said the human suffering in forgotten crises must not go unreported. He cited the many killings and kidnappings by gangs in Haiti and acute hunger faced by millions there, as well as humanitarian catastrophes in Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Mozambique and other countries.
“These – and many other crisis situations that have faded from the headlines – not only have severe consequences for the people directly affected, but are likely to have ripple effects across borders, and risk further de-stabilizing their regions”, Mr. Türk said. "One thing they – and so many other crises – have in common is disregard for human rights.”
Mr. Türk noted that humanitarian crises are marked – and sometimes triggered – by interlocking human rights violations and highlighted that the most vulnerable people bear the brunt of those crises.
"The brunt of the impact of these crises is always borne by the most marginalized, the most excluded, among those in particular: women, children, migrants, indigenous peoples, internally displaced people, people with disabilities, older people, ethnic and racial minorities, and LGBTIQ-plus people," he said.
Adherence to the principles set forth by the Universal Declaration can set societies back on the path toward a better future, one that is based on justice and equality for all, he said. “The world cannot afford for its leaders to consider human rights only as an afterthought or – worse – an instrument of geopolitics”, the high commissioner said.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR) is the leading UN entity on human rights. The mission of the UN Human Rights Office is to work for the protection of all human rights for all people, to help empower people to realize their rights, and to assist those responsible for upholding such rights in ensuring that they are implemented. The office was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 and is headed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who co-ordinates human rights activities throughout the United Nations System and acts as the secretariat of the UN Human Rights Council. OHCHR is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
World 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, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Further information
Full text: Human Rights Day - Opening statement by HC Volker Türk, The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights), released December 9, 2022
https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2022/12/human-rights-day-opening-statement-hc-volker-turk
Donate now to the UN Human Rights Office
https://www.ohchr.org/en/donation