Human Rights Council Marks International Women’s Day, Hearing the High Commissioner Say that Women’s Equality is Central to All Human Rights

MORNING

Human Rights Council Marks International Women’s Day, Hearing the High Commissioner Say that Women’s Equality is Central to All Human Rights

Council Concludes the General Debate on the High Commissioner’s Global Update

The Human Rights Council this morning observed International Women’s Day and then concluded the general debate on the High Commissioner’s global update under agenda item two on the annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General.

Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the occasion of the celebration of International Women’s Day, said women’s equality was central to all human rights, to human dignity and to the collective future.  And yet achieving this self-evident equality was an apparently never-ending challenge.  The international community needed to bring an end to patriarchy and toxic masculinity in the twenty-first century.  Women’s equality was essential to justice – above all, justice for the millions of individuals concerned.  Societies that oppressed women were underdeveloped and more prone to conflict and chaos, and this correlation was no coincidence.  No society could thrive if it held back half of its people and stifled half of its talents.

Mexico, speaking on behalf of a group of countries, said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary, clearly established that everyone had a right to education, equal pay for equal work, and freedoms of expression and of movement, among others.  Why then, was the world observing the erosion of the human rights of women and girls?  This was a wakeup call.  The full realisation of the rights of women and girls were indispensable for peace and development.  Crises and health challenges should not exacerbate gender-based discrimination and violence.  There needed to be practical measures put in place to bring about tangible change.

Centre for Reproductive Rights, on behalf of a number of civil society organizations, said today across the world feminists and women’s rights activists would march, demonstrate and go on a global strike to claim their human rights.  It had been over a hundred years since the first International Women’s Day, yet women, girls and people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics were still mobilising around their right to make decisions over their own bodies, to live free of the harmful gender stereotypes patriarchy imposed on them, and to claim their right to gender equality. 

The Council then concluded the general debate on the High Commissioner’s global update on the activities of his Office and recent human rights developments and the reports on the activities of his Office in Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras, as well as a report on Cyprus, which began yesterday.  A summary can be found here.

In the general debate, some speakers reiterated their commitment to the effective implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and support for the global mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner.  They affirmed confidence in multilateralism, dialogue and cooperation as tools to achieve more resilient, equitable and sustainable societies.  It was also crucial to reflect on how to strengthen existing mechanisms and the role of human rights in the face of the challenges of the twenty-first century, including cybersecurity and the use of artificial intelligence in the military field. The challenges for human rights were becoming more diverse and multi-faceted.

Some speakers called on the Human Rights Council to promote a culture of tolerance.  All human rights should be given the same level of attention, without favouring one set of rights over another.  It was also essential to protect the legitimacy of the Council, avoiding its use for political objectives and polarisation.  Cooperation and constructive dialogue, away from politicisation, remained the best way to consolidate human rights on the global stage.  Speakers called for the non-politicisation of human rights issues and the refrain from undue interference and double standards in the work of the Council.  The pandemic, the climate crisis, systemic racism, conflict, gender inequality, and the digital divide had taught the world a valuable lesson; without human rights there was no lasting peace, sustainable development, and social, climate or reproductive justice. 

Speaking in the general debate were Türkiye, Syria, Namibia, Belarus, Lesotho, Yemen, Botswana, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Hungary, Iran, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Burundi, Mauritania, Lebanon, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Peru, Denmark, Panama, and Nicaragua.

Also speaking were Defensoriá del Pueblo de Colombia, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project, China NGO Network for International Exchanges, Human Rights Watch, United Nations Association of China, Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights Association, Il Cenacolo, Amnesty International, China Foundation for Peace and Development, International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Oidhaco, Bureau International des Droits Humains - Action Colombie, Mouvement National des Jeunes Patriotes du Mali, Franciscans International, Chinese Association for International Understanding, Justice for Iran Ltd., Presse Emblème Campagne, Africa Culture Internationale, World Evangelical Alliance, World Jewish Congress, Iraqi Development Organization, Centre for Global Nonkilling, Fundación Abba Colombia, Right Livelihood Award Foundation, Human Rights Information and Training Centre, Colombian Commission of Jurists, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, American Association of Jurists, Peace Track Initiative, iuventum e.V., Organisation internationale pour les pays les moins avancés, Friends World Committee for Consultation, International Service for Human Rights, OCAPROCE Internationale, Advocates for Human Rights, Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII, World Muslim Congress, Society for Development and Community Empowerment, International Action for Peace & Sustainable Development, Promotion du Développement Economique et Social – PDES, International Commission of Jurists, Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man, Peace Brigades International, Conscience and Peace Tax International, CIVICUS - World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Conectas Direitos Humanos, Women's Human Rights International Association, International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations, Association des étudiants tamouls de France, Association culturelle des Tamouls en France, Réseau Unité pour le Développement de Mauritanie, Comité International pour le Respect et l'Application de la Charte Africaine des Droits de l'Homme et des Peuples, Maloca Internationale, Community Human Rights and Advocacy Centre, and International Muslim Women's Union.

Speaking in exercise of right of reply were South Sudan, India, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Cuba, Egypt, Morocco, Armenia, Venezuela, Russian Federation, and China.

The webcast of the Human Rights Council meetings can be found here.  All meeting summaries can be found here.  Documents and reports related to the Human Rights Council’s fifty-second regular session can be found here.

The next meeting of the Council will be at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 8 March, when it will conclude hearing right of reply statements in response to the general debate.  The Council will then hear the presentation of the Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, followed by an interactive dialogue. 

International Women’s Day

VÁCLAV BÁLEK, President of the Human Rights Council, said in line with the Council’s traditions, they would observe International Women’s Day.  This year, the celebration coincided with the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  This was an opportunity to celebrate the progress made toward gender equality and women empowerment.

VOLKER TÜRK, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said women’s equality was central to all human rights, to human dignity and to the collective future.  It was the foundation of the Universal Declaration, which opened with this simple statement: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and in rights.”  And yet achieving this self-evident equality was an apparently never-ending challenge.  The international community needed to bring an end to patriarchy and toxic masculinity in the twenty-first century.  Women’s equality was essential to justice – above all, justice for the millions of individuals concerned.  It was also vital to development and to peace.

When women’s and girls’ equal access to education, employment, decision-making and public participation was blocked, that country’s entire economy, and all of society, was throttled.  Violence and instability rose.  Societies that oppressed women were underdeveloped and more prone to conflict and chaos, and this correlation was no coincidence.  No society could thrive if it held back half of its people and stifled half of its talents.

And yet, the world was seeing efforts to push back women’s rights in every region -- underpinned by authoritarian or patriarchal narratives that normalised misogyny, and affirmed that women and girls must be essentially restricted to caregiving, reproduction and the family, regardless of their own desires.   Women’s equality was not going to destroy the institution of marriage, the family, or religion, as some claimed; it enriched every aspect of culture and society.  Women’s rights were about the core of what it was to be human: respect for an individual’s freedom to make choices.  And that freedom was part of every culture and mainstream belief.

Mexico, speaking on behalf of a group of countries, said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary, clearly established that everyone had rights to education, equal pay for equal work, and freedoms of expression and of movement, among others.  Why then was the world observing the erosion of the human rights of women and girls?  This was a wakeup call.  The full realisation of the rights of women and girls were indispensable for peace and development.  Crises and health challenges should not exacerbate gender-based discrimination and violence.  Legal structures and policy frameworks needed to be transformed.  The voices of women and girl human rights defenders needed to be protected and amplified.  It was necessary to prevent sexual and gender-based violence, both online and offline, and to support victims and survivors and guarantee their access to redress and remedy.  Efforts should be taken to address the digital gender divide and to ensure access to technology for women and girls.  There was no space for regression; fear and discrimination could not hold women and girls back.  There needed to be practical measures put in place to bring about tangible change.

Centre for Reproductive Rights, speaking on behalf of a number of civil society organizations, said today across the world feminists and women’s rights activists would march, demonstrate and go on a global strike to claim their human rights.  It had been over 100 years since the first International Women’s Day, yet women, girls and people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics were still mobilising around their right to make decisions over their own bodies, to live free of the harmful gender stereotypes patriarchy imposed on them, and to claim their right to gender equality.  Today the international community honoured the feminist movements and women human rights defenders who built networks of transnational solidarity that cut across movements, honoured the women human rights defenders who had been targeted, defamed and sometimes killed, and stood in solidarity with women and girls everywhere facing intersectional discrimination.  Together the international community stood united in front of the growing backlash against women’s and girls’ rights and refused the division that this backlash tried to sow, sharing and supporting the struggle of trans women, women with disabilities, Black women, women of colour, indigenous women, migrant women and refugees, and all people who were marginalised by systems of discrimination and oppression.  States were called on to put into practice their commitment to gender equality.

General Debate under Agenda Item Two on the High Commissioner’s Global Update on the Activities of his Office and Recent Human Rights Developments, and on the Reports on Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Cyprus

The Human Rights Council started its general debate under agenda item two on the High Commissioner’s global update on the activities of his Office and recent human rights developments, and on the reports on Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Cyprus in the previous meeting and a summary can be found here.

General Debate

Some speakers among other things, noted that this year marked important milestones in the human rights calendar, as the international community commemorated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the thirtieth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, two instruments which affirmed the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the international community.  It was important to ensure that these anniversaries were celebrated with concrete actions; the world needed to go beyond the promise to "leave no one behind" and instead pave the way for the advancement of the protection of the rights, dignity and equality of all. 

Some speakers reiterated their commitment to the effective implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and support for the global mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner.  They affirmed confidence in multilateralism, dialogue and cooperation as tools to achieve more resilient, equitable and sustainable societies.  It was also crucial to reflect on how to strengthen existing mechanisms and the role of human rights in the face of the challenges of the twenty-first century, including cybersecurity and the use of artificial intelligence in the military field.

The challenges for human rights were becoming more diverse and multi-faceted, some speakers said.  The universal human rights system held a transcendent responsibility in the current context of multiple crises that impacted on the rights of people around the world.  Some speakers called on the Human Rights Council to promote a culture of tolerance.  All human rights should be given the same level of attention, without favouring one set of rights over another.  It was important to take stock of the progress made in the realisation of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, as well as the right to development and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Some speakers said it was essential to protect the legitimacy of the Council, avoiding its use for political objectives and polarisation.  Cooperation and constructive dialogue, away from politicisation, remained the best way to consolidate human rights on the global stage.  Speakers called for the non-politicisation of human rights issues and the refrain from undue interference and double standards in the work of the Council.  Some speakers were highly opposed to the politicisation of the Council and rejected any resolutions which sought to take such an approach.  Concern was expressed by some speakers about the budgetary situation of the Office and the potential impact that financial constraints had on its work.

The pandemic, the climate crisis, systemic racism, conflict, gender inequality, and the digital divide had taught the world a valuable lesson; without human rights there was no lasting peace, sustainable development, and social, climate or reproductive justice.  Despite the universalisation of human rights, it was disheartening that women and girls in many parts of the world continued to be victims of various forms of discrimination, violence and harmful practices such as forced marriage, female genital mutilation, trafficking and sexual exploitation.
States were urged to commit the necessary political will and resources to empower and protect women and the girl child.  Women and girls were disproportionality affected by violations in conflict, often with impunity for perpetrators.  Cases of violations against women, including detention, torture, rape, restrictions of movement, and imposing dress codes, were occurring in some parts of the world.  The Council was urged to call for an end to these practices.    

Some speakers said that many people around the world today were not able to exercise their legitimate and inalienable right to self-determination, as they lived under colonial and foreign occupation.  The most important right was the right to life.  Everyone deserved to have a peaceful life under peaceful circumstances, but this often was not the case.  All parties were called on to respect the human rights of civilians.  Speakers called on the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner to urge countries to end acts of terrorism and attacks on their neighbours. 
International support was crucial to overcome global challenges.  There was no peace without justice. 

Currently around the world, war was the preferred tool to address international conflict; it was important to stand with those who refused to kill.  The right to peace was an interlinking right; if peace was absent, human rights were always violated.  The practice of the right to peace should be peaceful.  It was a challenge of the time to overcome present crises without aggravating them. 

Some speakers noted that unemployment levels, poverty, food insecurity, and high prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS were obstacles which hindered the enjoyment of human rights.  Countries were urged to address incidents of racism and racial discrimination, which were persistent around the world, and pledge their commitment to a world with no more genocide.  It was vital to combat racism.  Some speakers felt there had been failure to give justice to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and its implementation.  There needed to be a public outreach campaign to promote the text of this document, particularly as the world entered the ninth year of the Decade for People of African Descent.

Over 21,000 people were recorded to have died in migration during the last four years and it was widely acknowledged that the real figure was far higher.  Solutions, including dismantling dangerous deterrence-based policies for people on the move, were urgently needed.  Concerted collective action was needed to ensure that this would not be the case in the next four years.  The Migration Unit of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was called on to speak out in defence of the human rights of all people on the move, and to emphasise that borders were not zones of exclusion for human rights

Multilateralism was vital to face the growing deterioration of democratic institutions in the face of the regression of the space of civil society in various parts of the world.  Speakers advocated professional journalism which did not violate the rights of others or twist facts.  The arrests of human rights defenders and journalists around the world was highlighted as a serious issue, with the only crimes they committed being freely expressing their viewpoint.  There needed to be greater importance given to peace makers, including human rights defenders and those doing non-violent resistance. 

Some speakers outlined how the growth of youth movements and the critical role played by youth human rights defenders, who sought to bring about societal change and oppose injustice, could make them targets for attacks.  The High Commissioner was encouraged to monitor this situation and to continue to enhance the work of the Office regarding civic space.  Speakers underscored the importance of putting an end to the surveillance and attacks on human rights defenders. 

Speakers classified the climate crisis as a humanitarian and human rights crisis. This was something which should be a focus of States and of the Council. 

Link: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/meeting-summary/2023/03/le-conseil-des-droits-de-lhomme-marque-la-journee-internationale

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