Human rights must be center of COVID-19
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights remains relevant today as it aims to protect each individual, recognize our connection as human beings and move people to work towards a kind, resilient and just society
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home — so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. [...] Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
With this moving quote by America’s well-loved First Lady, diplomat and activist on the United Nations’ (UN) website, the point is once again driven home — that human rights continues to be a personal concern just as nations around the world uphold it with great importance.
International Human Rights Day is commemorated on 10 December and marks the anniversary of the adoption by the General Assembly of the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights remains relevant today as it aims to protect each individual, recognize our connection as human beings and move people to work towards a kind, resilient and just society.
As governments around the world carry on with their efforts to mitigate COVID-19 and as humanitarian initiatives are extended across countries, the UN urges nations to put human rights at the core of the post-COVID- 19 world
According to the UN site, “The COVID-19 crisis has been fueled by deepening poverty, rising inequalities, structural and entrenched discrimination and other gaps in human rights protection. Only measures to close these gaps and advance human rights can ensure we fully recover and build back a world that is better, more resilient, just and sustainable.” The four measures it detailed are:
End discrimination of any kind. The COVID- 19 pandemic deepened structural discrimination and racism. Thus, “equality and non-discrimination are core requirements for a post-COVID world.”
Address inequalities. Recovering from COVID-19 shock means healing from the inequality pandemic as well. “For that, we need to promote and protect economic, social, and cultural rights. We need a new social contract for a new era.”
Encourage participation and solidarity. We are all in this together, said UN through its site. “From individuals to governments, from civil society and grass-roots communities to the private sector, everyone has a role in building a post-COVID world that is better for present and future generations. We need to ensure the voices of the most affected and vulnerable inform the recovery efforts.”
Promote sustainable development. Sustainable development for people and planet are a must. “Human rights, the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement are the cornerstone of a recovery that leaves no one behind.”
Thus, the UN calls on all individuals to uphold human rights and uphold the organization’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The organization stresses that without the observation of human rights, progress cannot be fully achieved by a nation: “As in the absence of human dignity we cannot hope to drive sustainable development. Human Rights are driven by progress on
all SDGs, and the SDGs are driven by advancements on human rights.”
Recovering from COVID-19 shock means healing from the inequality pandemic as well. ‘For that, we need to promote and protect economic, social and cultural rights. We need a new social contract for a new era.’
This year, more than ever, is a time to embrace the idea that we are all alike as we help in battling the coronavirus pandemic. But it’s also a time to do a little more by making a stand and reaching out to vulnerable communities or individuals who need help at this dark point in human history.
Donate to your favorite human rights charity, make your voice heard and attend a human rights event or show your support for human rights by posting online or getting involved in online discussions, suggests national.com.
However one celebrates 10 December, let it be an opportunity to honor the worth of human life, the weight of humanity in a world that has forced people to be socially apart for health reasons, and the meaning of human connections in rebuilding the future especially after COVID-19.