Secretary-General's statement on Human Rights Day 2014

Excellencies, distinguished guests, Commonwealth friends and colleagues…welcome.

It is good that we should gather here in Marlborough House to mark Human Rights Day 2014.

We are particularly honoured to have with us: Dr Zainab Bangura, United Nations Under Secretary-General and Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict; Advocate Hina Jilani, former UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders; and, Ann Cotton, Founder and President of the Campaign for Female Education.

This day 10 December, was chosen and dedicated as Human Rights Day by the UN General Assembly in 1950. The intent was and remains to bring to the attention ‘of the peoples of the world’ the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ‘as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations’. The Commonwealth collectively shares in that objective and understanding, and it is right that we should join together each year in solidarity to observe Human Rights Day and renew our pledge and commitment to upholding the Universal Declaration.

Human rights are universal, enduring, and inalienable. They belong to all people at all times in all places, irrespective of nationality, of class, of race, of gender, of religious belief, of disability, of sexual orientation, or any other distinction. Simply as a human person each individual is accorded these inherent freedoms and entitlements – and should be free to enjoy them. These universal rights are all interrelated, interdependent, and indivisible.

Human rights bear upon all aspects of our lives. They accord protection by emphasising the freedom of the individual from undue interference by the state, by proscribing behaviour that is injurious to personal dignity and liberty, and by according to all the freedom to participate in civic and political life.

They relate to fundamental elements of human well-being concerning work, social security, family life, access to housing, food, water, health care, education, and participation in cultural life. They define clearly the expectation each and every individual should have for a meaningful, dignified, and secure life; they are a measure and a demarcation designed to prevent abuse of power, to reduce avoidable suffering, and to empower the disadvantaged; they protect the vulnerable and save lives.

Our theme for this year is ‘Why rights?’ Why should they be a primary currency of international relations and a common language for humanity? Why is civil society the world over animated and driven by the notion of human rights? Why do individuals fiercely fight to protect their own rights and those of others, frequently at great peril to themselves and sometimes upon pain of death? Why is it that increasingly, rights-based approaches are understood as vital factors in the search for solutions that overcome violations of security and dignity or infringements of liberty?

The Commonwealth Charter reaffirms human rights as core values and principles of the Commonwealth, making them central to our work. Our leaders have consistently attached great importance to human rights - as was demonstrated again a year ago in the strengthened human rights commitments made at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo.

Three weeks ago we marked the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a treaty to which every Commonwealth member state is a party. While this anniversary of the global commitment to protecting the rights of the child is an important milestone, let us not lose sight of the fact that formidable challenges persist.

Rates of childhood morbidity and mortality are too high. While, according to UNICEF, there has been progress in recent years, girls continue to suffer severe disadvantage and exclusion from educational opportunities throughout their lives. We know that only 70% of countries will have reached gender parity by the 2015 target. Almost half the children out of school globally are expected never to make it to school and girls are particularly affected.

Poverty and discrimination are two of the most critical barriers hindering enjoyment of rights today. Deprivation cuts across an array of interlinked issues from which the poor suffer disproportionately. These include hunger, poor education, inadequate access to basic health care, and other forms of social and economic discrimination. These are all human rights issues.  Efforts to advance respect for human rights and efforts to eliminate poverty are mutually reinforcing, each is instrumental to the achievement of the other.

Human rights standards offer a normative framework that should guide the design and implementation of policies to reduce poverty.  Recognition of human rights gives deeper legitimacy to process for decision-making, policy design, and implementation of development strategies, increasing the likelihood that they will be effective, sustainable, inclusive, equitable, and of enduring value to those currently living in poverty.

Discrimination undermines the dignity, equality and rights of individuals and groups the world over. It impairs their identity as valued human beings, embraced and protected as much as members of the universal family as of their local communities. Inexcusably there remain in our world today many examples of discriminatory treatment and its tragic consequences. Unequal treatment results in political, economic and social exclusion, disproportionately burdening the poor and marginalised. It is also a driver of civil unrest and communal conflict.

Discrimination has no place in the modern Commonwealth, and as the Charter affirms we are ‘implacably’ opposed to it in all its forms. Speaking in 2010 to a UN panel on ending violence and criminal sanctions based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminded those in attendance that those facing any kind of discrimination first look to government for leadership, for protection, and for their equal right to dignity and respect. And in words that remain as pertinent now as they were four years ago when he spoke them, Archbishop Tutu noted that ‘Exclusion is never the way forward on our shared paths to freedom and justice.’

In the area of health, human rights are of crucial importance, and failure to rely on them can exacerbate poverty, destabilize communities and stigmatize the most vulnerable individuals and groups. Global health emergencies such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and the prevalence and persistence of neglected tropical diseases, illustrate this point all too well. Each of these is simultaneously a cause and consequence of human rights violations.

Responses to these emergencies must integrate human rights, the right to health in particular, if we are not to fuel such epidemics. Similarly, the responses to other pressing health challenges, such as maternal mortality or improving access to medicines should be those that are built on respect for human rights.

Climate change and human rights are not separate or divorced from one another; rather they are inextricably interwoven and connected. The projected effects of climate change loom large as an immediate threat to human rights and will have far-reaching consequences that will be felt most acutely in small island states, many of which are members of the Commonwealth.

Amongst the many direct and indirect impacts of climate change on economic, social and cultural rights are threats to food security and the attendant increase in malnutrition; displacement; and exacerbation of existing stresses on potable and agricultural water supplies. At the same time, systemic and systematic denial of economic, social and cultural rights, such as that associated with deforestation, has been cited as amongst the causal factors of climate change.

In marking Human Rights Day 2014 we have chosen to focus particularly on early and forced marriage, sexual violence in conflict and the right to education. In 2013 Heads of Government agreed that the Commonwealth will continue to address the issue of child, early and forced marriage, giving due consideration to the domestic legislation of member countries and relevant international law. Heads mandated the Commonwealth Secretariat to continue with this area of work, including the sharing of best practices, challenges, achievements and to address implementation gaps in order to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage.

Heads of Government also denounced the dehumanising and cowardly use of sexual violence in armed conflict and as a weapon of war. They noted that in addition to the long term physical and psychological trauma suffered by survivors, it undermines the social and economic wellbeing, development, peace and stability of communities and countries.  Some of our practical contributions in giving effect to these commitments include working with in partnership with governments, national human rights institutions and parliaments.

Friends and colleagues, human rights must be more than mere aspirations, and declarations cannot simply be slogans. Nor are they discretionary, they are fundamental. The central importance of human rights to all that we do is increasingly being recognised. We see evidence of this in many encouraging achievements. Yet while we have much to celebrate, a long road stretches ahead of us.  Human rights must be at the core of all that we do, and advancing them is our collective responsibility.

This commitment can unite us in our rich diversity, as we demand responses that are equitable, inclusive, and empowering for all. We welcome the encouragement and support that Commonwealth solidarity brings, and remain resolute in our determination to work in partnership alongside member states, to secure the decent, safe and dignified lives that are the right of every Commonwealth citizen.