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	We need an economy based on human rights by HRW, OHCHR, GCSPF, UN DESA, agencies   Aug. 2024   Protesters around the World are targeting Inequality. Governments must Listen, by Sarah Saadoun. (Human Rights Watch)   Bangladesh is the latest country to erupt in protests over economic conditions. In July, students took to the streets to protest the country's Supreme Court decision to reinstate a quota system for government jobs that they believed favored ruling party supporters.   The government responded by killing over 400 protestors, fanning the flames of protest, which persisted even after the court reduced the quota. On Aug. 5, the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, announced her resignation.   Meanwhile, in Kenya, young people have been protesting since June, when Parliament approved a tax billthat would fall hardest on the poorest. A proposed tax on menstrual pads became a symbol of how much the government was willing to squeeze people to pay off the country's debt.   In July, President William Ruto sent the bill back to Parliament for revision, but pockets of protests continue, and have inspired protests in Nigeria following economic reforms that drove up the cost of living, as well as in Uganda, against government corruption.   These protests come on the heels of those that swept Pakistan and Angola over the past year in response to government cuts in energy subsidies. In 2022, demonstrations across Sri Lanka following the government's default on its debt led to the ouster of the president.   The specific triggers that set off these protests may vary, but they share a common thread—anger over an economic system that feels intolerable. The cost of living has been rising globally without a commensurate rise in wages for most people, while an increase in interest rates has forced many governments to divert a huge share of their revenues to servicing debt, eroding spending on already underfunded public services like health care and education.   But protester anger is not merely desperation over poverty. The ruling party hoarding government jobswhile gutting private sector labor protections. Cutting subsidies for electricity to pay creditors rather than enforcing tax rules for the rich. Neglect of public services amid rampant corruption.   In country after country, what is making so many people, particularly young people, willing to confront the often brutal hand of the state is a collective rejection of a system that fuels inequality.   We should heed their message. Governments—and the global institutions that have a heavy hand in shaping economic policy—have, as the U.N. special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier de Schutter put it, accepted that "economic growth will bring prosperity to all." In doing so, they've enabled an explosion in economic inequality.   But this approach is falling apart as the pressures of debt and climate change mount, and protesters are refusing to accept that those on the losing end of inequality should foot the bill.   Take Bangladesh. A focus on the garment industry has brought rapid economic growth, leading many to hail the country as a development miracle. But the government lured foreign investors by collecting abysmally few taxes, a "race to the bottom" incentivized by international tax rules, and allowing companies to pay poverty wages. As a result, Bangladesh has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in the world.   Rock-bottom revenues also pushed the Bangladesh government to seek a loan from the International Monetary Fund in 2022. It is not surprising that nearly every country affected by the recent wave of economic-triggered protests has an IMF program. But its loan conditions, although ostensibly intended to stabilize economies, often worsen poverty and inequality.   At the same time, many governments are severely constrained by an international system designed to benefit richer countries. The increase in interest rates has sent debt payments soaring, but the global system for restructuring debt is broken.   We need a new economic model rooted in respect for and promotion of human rights—a human rights economy. This concept would put respect for human rights at the center of all aspects of the global economic system, from debt to taxes to international financial institutions.   Recognizing that an obsession with growth is at odds with an environmentally sustainable economy, a human rights approach emphasizes the equitable distribution of resources that can fund realization of rights like universal access to quality health care, education, social security, and ensuring that people are paid a living wage.   The potential for such a paradigm shift is very real. Governments took a big step forward on Aug. 16 when they overwhelmingly voted in favor of terms of reference for a new U.N. treaty on tax. The treaty offers a rare opportunity to fix rules such as those that led Bangladesh to its quandary of high growth yet pitiful revenues, potentially enabling developing countries to raise billions in new revenues.   Many wealthy countries are skeptical about the treaty, but they should realize that their fate is too closely tied to that of other countries to ignore the shaking ground beneath protesters' feet. People are rising to claim their rights; they deserve more than cosmetic changes.   http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/27/protesters-around-world-are-targeting-inequality-governments-must-listen http://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/12/moving-beyond-gdp-towards-human-rights-economy   July 2024   We need an economy based on human rights, by Olivier De Schutter - Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights   Economic growth will bring prosperity to all. This is the mantra that guides the decision-making of the vast majority of politicians, economists and even human rights bodies.   Yet the reality – as detailed in a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council this month – shows that while poverty eradication has historically been promised through the “trickling down” or “redistribution” of wealth, economic growth largely “gushes up” to a privileged few.   In the past four years alone the world’s five richest men have more than doubled their fortunes, while nearly 5 billion people have been made poorer. If current trends continue, 575 million people will still be trapped in extreme poverty in 2030 – the deadline set by the world’s governments to eradicate it. Currently, more than 4 billion people have no access whatsoever to social protection.   Hundreds of millions of people are struggling to survive in a world that has never been wealthier; many are driven to exhaustion in poorly paid, often dangerous jobs to satisfy the needs of the elite and to boost corporate profits.   In low-income countries, where significant investment is still required, growth can still serve a useful role. In practice, however, it is often extractive, relying on the exploitation of a cheap workforce and the plundering of natural resources.   The endless quest for growth at all costs, and the escalating use of the natural resources it demands, is pushing our planet way beyond its limits. Six of the nine “planetary boundaries” – Earth’s life-support systems – have already been crossed. For too long, the health of our planet has been sacrificed for inequitable material gain.   Our economies are failing us. We urgently need to look beyond profit, beyond the short term and beyond the interests of the few.   A “human rights economy” can deliver for people and the planet because it shifts our focus from growth to humanity – grounding the purpose of the economy in fundamental, universal human values. It offers human rights as a guardrail to keep the economy on track – meeting the challenges of the climate crisis, addressing inequalities and eradicating poverty.   This proposition is not some fairytale. Concrete steps can be taken now, starting with choosing measures of progress other than gross domestic product (GDP) – which tells us nothing about the ecological or social fallout of economic activity.   And we need to start valuing what really counts. GDP has no way of accounting for the estimated 16.4bn hours spent every day worldwide on unpaid work, largely carried out by women, that underpins the global economy: caring for children, people with disabilities and older citizens.   Unpaid domestic and care work should be remunerated through paid parental and carers’ leave, included in pension calculations, and supported through access to safe water, sanitation, affordable childcare facilities and other essential services.   Financing these services while reducing our dependence on GDP growth is achievable through progressive tax policies such as inheritance and wealth taxes, preventing illegal financial flows and tax evasion, and tackling corruption. More effective international cooperation on tax, debt and social protection is also needed.   This is a major undertaking. The barriers are real: most people have been led to believe that economic growth equals human progress. Yet a growing movement is rallying against our growth-driven economic model: climate activists, workers and trade unions, scientists and academics, young people, environmental and human rights defenders, Indigenous peoples, progressive economists, and activists fighting inequality, gender disparities and colonialism are speaking out.   As world leaders prepare to gather for the Summit of the Future in September – a UN initiative that aims to forge a global consensus around what our future should look like – this groundswell of support for an alternative vision of progress must be embraced. Without a roadmap for a global economy that protects human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, the final document leaders agree in New York will continue to lead us down the path to extinction.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/07/end-dangerous-fixation-gdp-way-eradicate-global-poverty-un-expert http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5661-eradicating-poverty-beyond-growth-report-special-rapporteur http://www.srpoverty.org/category/latest-news/   July 2024   Universal social protection is the key to overcoming poverty and inequality - Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors   The Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF) participated in the consultations for the UN Summit of the Future taking place on 22-23 September.   My name is Markus Kaltenborn, I am speaking on behalf of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors (GCSPF), which comprises more than 130 Non Government Organisations and labour organisations worldwide. Our aim is to support long-term strategies for overcoming extreme poverty and for combating huge social inequalities. In our view, social protection is a key instrument for achieving these goals.   Social protection instruments are social benefits such as cash transfers, which for example benefit families and the elderly, but also social insurance schemes such as public health insurance or pension schemes.   Although social protection is a human right, more than half of the global population has no access to it. On the African continent only 18% of the population are effectively covered by at least one of the basic social protection guarantees.   This is a big problem, mainly because adequate social protection is a prerequisite for the provision of many other important basic needs. Without adequate social protection, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve several goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.   In particular, the fight against poverty and the reduction of inequalities within and between societies, but also adequate food supply and health care, regular school attendance for children and the elimination of gender discrimination are goals that are linked to Social Protection.   Some countries have succeeded in generating ade­quate domestic resources to ensure rights-based and sustainably financed social protection systems for the entire population. Other countries, however, do not yet have sufficient financial resources to fully guarantee their population this protection.   It is therefore essential and urgent that the international community supports the system building, rollout and the financing of social protection floors worldwide.   Financial and technical support can, and must be, significantly expanded, otherwise it will not be possible in many parts of the world to achieve some of the key objectives of the 2030 Agenda.   One of our main aims is therefore a well-coordinated global mechanism for the financing of social protection systems, mainly in low-income countries. We hope that, one day, the global community will be able to set up A Global Fund for Social Protection.   In the Draft of the Pact for the Future social protection is mentioned – this is, of course, very good. We hope that this will lead to a more prominent role for this important topic in the future, especially at next year's World Summit for Social Development.   What is not so good, however, is the fact that, unlike in the first version of the draft, it is not emphasized any more that there is a need for universal social protection. But universality is extremely important, because all people, especially the most vulnerable groups, should have access to social protection systems. This should not remain a privilege of individual groups.   It would therefore be important for the text of the Pact of the Future to be adapted in this respect. Universal social protection is the key to overcoming poverty and inequality.   Social security is a human right, and social protection floors underpin successful poverty elimination strategies. Eliminating poverty and the reduction of inequalities within and between societies, adequate food supply and health care, ensuring regular school attendance for children especially girls and the elimination of discrimination against women of all ages and gender inequities related to unpaid care work require the urgent implementation.   Social protection must not remain a privilege of the few linked to formal employment but must be enjoyed by all, first and foremost the chronically poor and those who are most hard to reach.   * The Summit of the Future that will take place on 22-23 September 2024 is a important opportunity to forge a new global consensus on what our future should look like and take concrete steps to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.   http://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/2024/07/statement-on-the-importance-of-universal-social-protection-for-the-pact-of-the-future http://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/2023/12/the-gcspf-written-contribution-to-the-summit-of-the-future/ http://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/a-new-era-for-social-protection/ http://socialprotection.org/discover/publications/report-way-forward-resilience-preventing-hunger-and-poverty-rising-result http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/14-billion-children-globally-missing-out-basic-social-protection-according-latest http://www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future   July 2024   World Social Report 2024: Social Development in Times of Converging Crises: A Call for Global Action. (UN DESA)   Since the First World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen in 1995, progress has been made across the world in realizing social development objectives such as poverty eradication, full employment, and inclusion.   However, many gaps and challenges remained, even as recently as five years back. Today, amid a confluence of shocks and crises, less than a fifth of the Sustainable Development Goals targets are on track, with nearly a half showing insufficient progress, and over a third that are stalled or in reversal. This serves as a wake-up call, signaling the need for extensive changes along different fronts to achieve social development.   While national-level efforts for achieving social goals remain vital, they must be complemented by international support and global actions. Such joint actions can greatly reduce the impact of recurrent crises on social development and preserve valuable resources for its further advancement.   http://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/world-social-report-2024/
	Calling a Peace Emergency by Kofi Annan Foundation, Interpeace, ICRC, agencies   Sep. 2024   The Kofi Annan Foundation and Interpeace are calling a peace emergency. Our aim is to remind the world that conflict prevention works, leaders are responsible for every life lost, and dialogue and collaboration must be restored and expanded.   We live -again- in a time of war. And we seem resigned to it. Levels of violent conflict are higher than at any time since the end of the Second World War. Global defense spending is the highest-ever recorded. Military expenditure increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2023, reaching $2443 billion.   While states may be prioritizing military strength to address volatile geopolitical and security dynamics, their efforts have failed to arrest violent conflicts, which are growing not just in numbers, but in severity and length.   War is now waged in a way that exacerbates civilian harm, with civilian deaths rising rapidly. There are more casualties today from fighting in Darfur than there were 20 years ago. The daily death rate in Gaza has surpassed any other major conflict in this century.   And yet we know that violent responses most often beget new forms of violence and fuel cycles of conflict over generations. Any return on investment for war-driven approaches will never outweigh the immeasurable cost of violent conflict in terms of the loss of lives, livelihoods and infrastructure and wider social harms.   According to the 2023 Global Peace Index, the impact of violence on the global economy amounted to $17.5 trillion in 2022. Research has shown, on the other hand, that each dollar invested in peacebuilding will lead to a $16 decline in the cost of conflict.   If we truly want to reverse current trends and advance peace, we must invest urgently in sustaining and expanding peacemaking and peacebuilding work at a scale that has not been attempted in decades.   By “peace,” we don’t just mean the absence of war. Changing how the world invests in peace requires a total rethink of how we define it.   We see peace as a state where social, economic, and political relationships are free from violence and coercion, allowing people to envision a future without fear or injustice and with security and dignity. This is a complex endeavor that requires resources, hard work and expertise.   When world leaders gather at the Summit of the Future in New York later this month, they must declare their determination to restore and strengthen dialogue and cooperation against all odds. They must commit to investing massively in peace as the best way to ensure stability and security for their people.   And we must hold them accountable for every life lost in war, every livelihood destroyed, every hospital or school blown up, every child starved in man-made famines.   The current narrative presents war as inevitable. We must counter it by highlighting the numerous examples of successful actions for the prevention of conflicts, the restoration and consolidation of peace.   We know that peace work actually works. We see it every day. It works when we act beyond short-term projects to deliver solutions that span current and future generations. It works when peace actors cooperate and join forces rather than compete for shrinking resources. It works when women are at the center of all peace action and have access to decision-making and when young people drive the solutions for their problems.   There will be no future, no future generations, no future for the planet, without peace. We are calling a Peace Emergency.   http://www.kofiannanfoundation.org/news/calling-a-peace-emergency/   25 Sep. 2024   International Peace Institute President Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric discuss the Necessity for Limitations on War and Respect for the Geneva Conventions.   The interview addressed the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, highlighting their status as a robust global normative framework despite recent violations in conflicts such as Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. Underscoring the current conflicts’ unique challenges, it was noted that while violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) are not new, the scale and visibility of these breaches have intensified.   The interview also delved into underutilized tools that could enhance the enforcement of IHL and strengthen its principles, and the need for more effective international collaboration.   http://www.ipinst.org/2024/09/ipi-president-and-icrc-president-discuss-the-limitations-on-war-and-respect-for-the-geneva-convention http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/icrc-president-mirjana-spoljaric-international-humanitarian-law-was-created-move-beyond-division http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/geneva-conventions-75th-anniversary-reaffirm-commitment-ihl-and-make-it-political http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/icrc-president-mirjana-spoljaric-human-life-is-human-life http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/un-idenw http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/arms-trade-treaty-must-be-faithfully-implemented-prevent-serious-violations   * Year in Review: UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs: http://dppa.medium.com/year-in-review-working-to-put-a-dent-in-global-crises-and-conflict-fd060c8fd892 http://dppa.medium.com/new-mid-year-report-highlights-vital-role-of-the-multi-year-appeal-in-enabling-prevention-8e024dcd9771 http://dppa.un.org/en   June 2024   “We must urgently find our way back to peace", says United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk as he presents his global update to the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council:   It pains me to start my Global Update to this Council, once again, with the cruelty of war. Last March, I spoke of the right to peace. Since then, conflicts have only intensified.   Killings and injuries of civilians have become a daily occurrence. Destruction of vital infrastructure a daily occurrence. Devastating and reckless. Children shot at. Hospitals bombed. Heavy artillery launched on entire communities.   All along with hateful, divisive, and dehumanising rhetoric. I am dismayed by the extent to which warring parties have pushed beyond the boundaries of what is acceptable - and legal - on many fronts, with utter contempt for the other, trampling human rights at their core.   In 2023, data gathered by my Office shows the number of civilian deaths in armed conflict soared by 72 per cent. Horrifyingly, the data indicates that the proportion of women killed in 2023 doubled and that of children tripled, compared to the year prior.   I am appalled by the disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law by parties to the conflict in Gaza. There has been unconscionable death and suffering. More than 120,000 people in Gaza, overwhelmingly women and children, have been killed or injured since 7 October, as a result of the intensive Israeli offensives. Since Israel escalated its operations into Rafah in early May, almost one million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced yet again, while aid delivery and humanitarian access deteriorated further.   The situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is dramatically deteriorating. As of 15 June, 528 Palestinians, 133 of them children, had been killed by Israeli security forces and/or settlers since October, in many cases raising serious concerns of unlawful killings. In the same period, 23 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Israel in clashes with or attacks by Palestinians, including 8 members of Israeli security forces.   Israel’s relentless strikes in Gaza are causing immense suffering and widespread destruction. The arbitrary denial and obstruction of humanitarian aid have continued, and Israel continues to detain arbitrarily thousands of Palestinians. This must end.   Palestinian armed groups continue to hold many hostages, and, in some cases in densely populated areas, putting them and Palestinian civilians at further risk. These hostages must be released.   The patterns we have documented raise serious concerns about the commission of war crimes and other atrocity crimes. I call for the binding decisions of the Security Council and of the International Court of Justice to be respected. The occupation must end, accountability must be served and the internationally agreed two-State solution must become a reality.   I am extremely worried about the escalating situation between Lebanon and Israel. Already 401 people have reportedly been killed in Lebanon, including paramedics and journalists. Over 90,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon, and over 60,000 have been displaced in Israel with 25 Israeli fatalities. Thousands of buildings have been destroyed. I reiterate my call for a cessation of hostilities and for actors with influence to take all possible measures to avert a full-scale war.   The situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate. The recent ground offensive by Russian armed forces into Ukraine’s Kharkiv region has destroyed entire communities. Residents, many of them older people, hid in basements, without electricity, water, or adequate food, as the area came under intense attacks by explosive weapons with wide area effects.   Repeated waves of large-scale attacks on energy infrastructure have destroyed 68 per cent of Ukraine’s electricity production capacity, bringing the system to a dangerous tipping point, especially ahead of winter. I will provide a dedicated update on 9 July.   Sudan is being destroyed in front of our eyes by two warring parties and affiliated groups. They have stoked inter-ethnic tensions, denied humanitarian assistance, arrested human rights defenders, and flagrantly cast aside the rights of their own people. I put both Generals on notice for their own responsibility in the commission of possible war crimes and other atrocity crimes, including through sexual violence and ethnically motivated attacks. They are ultimately responsible for the impact of their actions on civilians, including massive displacement, impending famine, and an intensifying humanitarian disaster.   It is vital that ongoing mediation efforts, including by the African Union, bring this conflict to an end. Existing civilian initiatives to influence a future transition also need support. These processes must be inclusive, to address the conflict’s causes rooted in exclusion and discrimination.   During my mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo in April, I felt the immense suffering of civilians in the east, including those living in camps for internally displaced people with continued attacks by armed groups, including the M23, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), CODECO and others. Violence must end. Efforts of the Government, and regional and international actors, must focus on bringing about peace, security, and trust. Hate speech and messages targeting people based on their ethnicity must stop and the perpetrators brought to justice. Accountability is key. And the private sector, including businesses that extract resources, must also assume their responsibilities.   While there is a decrease in the intensity of hostilities in the Syrian Arab Republic compared to past years, there is no apparent end in sight to the conflict. With ongoing killings of civilians, destruction of civilian objects, sexual and gender-based violence, and arbitrary arrests and intimidation of peaceful protesters.   Deaths in custody, particularly in areas under the control of pro-Government forces, persist. Syrian returnees continue to face risks, such as arbitrary arrest and detention and extortion, both in areas under the control of pro-Government forces, and in areas controlled by non-State armed groups.   In countries that have undergone unconstitutional changes of power, including Burkina Faso which I visited this year, Mali and Niger, we see transitions becoming longer and longer, without meaningful national dialogue processes and with increasing restrictions on civic space to quash dissent. Moving forward can only happen through inclusivity. And in the case of Niger, also by finding a solution that respects the rights of President Bazoum and his family.   Civilians bear the brunt in the fight against non-State armed groups. A militarised approach alone will not yield sustainable results. The social contract between the transitional authorities and the people must urgently be restored.   South Sudan is a country exhausted by inter-communal violence and revenge killings, widespread attacks on civilians, extrajudicial executions, conflict-related sexual violence, mismanagement of resources, food insecurity, and large-scale displacement, including due to environmental factors. All these challenges are exacerbated in a fragile pre-electoral context.   I urge the Government to prioritise accountability, address localised violence, enhance the protection of civilians, investigate all alleged violations, and bring perpetrators to justice.   Haiti is the quintessential example of the spiraling interconnection between entrenched inequalities and violence. Decades of exclusion poor governance, corruption, and trafficking in weapons, have contributed to endemic gang violence and the dramatic situation we are facing today. Health centres, schools, State institutions and strategic infrastructure have been targeted by gang members. I call for the urgent deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, with human rights safeguards, to support the national police and bring security to the Haitian people.   We urgently need to find our way back to peace, in line with the UN Charter and international law.   As of the end of May 2024, the gap between humanitarian funding requirements and available resources stands at 40.8 billion USD. Appeals are funded at an average of 16.1 per cent only.   Contrast this with the almost 2.5 trillion USD in global military expenditure in 2023, a 6.8 per cent increase in real terms from 2022. This was the steepest year-on-year increase since 2009. In addition to inflicting unbearable human suffering, war comes with a hefty price tag.   The far-reaching impact of war and conflict on the environment is also undeniable. Burning of land, chemical contamination of air, water and soil, destruction of civilian infrastructure, even the risk of nuclear catastrophe.   This comes on top of some of the biggest challenges humanity faces today — climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. And with every passing day, humanity’s window of opportunity closes.   La Nina and El Nino have inflicted severe damage on many countries, including in Latin America and the Caribbean. 61 million people in southern Africa are affected by El Nino-induced drought and extreme weather worsened by climate change. Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have declared a state of disaster, with more countries likely to follow. I echo the humanitarian community’s warnings of a looming crisis in the face of imminent harvest failures.   Like most crises, the climate emergency disproportionately affects the world’s poor and most marginalised. Countries and communities who have contributed the least to creating it, suffer its effects the most – notably in small island developing States, least developed countries, and landlocked developing countries.   Climate disasters often collide with pre-existing challenges, such as food insecurity and structural discrimination, together with limited resources due to unsustainable debt levels, lack of fiscal space for public spending, and barriers to access concessional financing.   The adverse effects of climate change are already having massive impacts on the enjoyment of human rights. We must be prepared. By integrating human rights into environmental analysis and modelling, we can anticipate the types of issues that will arise, inform decision-making and minimise the worst impacts.   Seeking accountability for environmental harm, including through appropriate use of criminal law, will help make the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment a reality on the ground.   We talk about human rights as the best tool for early warning and prevention. But what does this mean? It means we must take the drivers and root causes of tensions, violence, and conflict seriously.   Entrenched inequalities. Lack of access to basic rights – food, water, housing, education, decent work, a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Systemic discrimination. Deficient governance and the quashing of dissenting voices.   Globally, inequality has seen the largest increase in three decades, as poorer countries took a bigger economic hit from the COVID-19 pandemic compared to richer countries.   According to Oxfam, the wealth of the world’s five richest billionaires has more than doubled since the start of this decade, while 60 per cent of humanity has grown poorer. 4.8 billion people are poorer than they were in 2019. And the wealth gap between men and women globally? 100 trillion USD.   We are a far cry from the 2030 Agenda’s promise to reach those furthest behind first. Almost half of humanity – some 3.3 billion people – live in countries where governments spend more on servicing their debts than investing in health and education systems for their people.   While Sri Lanka’s macro-economic situation has improved somewhat , the impacts of the economic crisis together with associated austerity measures are affecting the poorest and already marginalized groups the most. Between 2021 and 2023, the poverty rate doubled from 13.1 to 25.9 per cent and is expected to remain at such levels over the next few years.   During my recent visit to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, I heard about the drastic impact debt servicing is having on public spending on social services, including on social infrastructure, social protection programmes, health, and education.   In Argentina, recent proposed and adopted measures risk undermining human rights protection. These include cuts to public spending particularly affecting the most marginalised, the announced closure of State institutions dedicated to women’s rights and access to justice, and an instruction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to suspend participation in all events abroad related to the 2030 Agenda. I urge the authorities to place human rights at the centre of their policy making, to build a more cohesive and inclusive society. This also means full respect for the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.   A human rights economy is a lever for social justice. It promotes equal opportunities, meaningful participation, and investment in essential services. It helps forge trust in public institutions, fostering the social contract.   Globally, we need to bring our economic systems – from trade treaties to investment agreements, business regulation to development frameworks – in line with human rights, including the right to development. This also has consequences for the reform of the international financial architecture.   Some promising initiatives are underway, such as the Bridgetown Initiative, the proposed new Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, the OECD 15 per cent global minimum tax rate on multinational companies, and the global 2 per cent minimum wealth tax on billionaires, proposed by Brazil as the current G20 chair. This last measure alone could generate roughly 300 billion USD per year to combat climate change, inequalities, and poverty. I hope these initiatives are further triggers of the real transformation that is needed, by working together, to put human rights at the centre of all economic decision making.   Systemic racism against people of African descent is perpetuated by systems and structures that are rooted in the legacies of colonialism and enslavement. It manifests in many ways. In terms of socio-economic inequalities. And in the way law enforcement and the criminal justice system interact with people of African descent in a discriminatory manner. Clearly, there is much to be done, as illustrated by recent reports.   While countries like Brazil, Colombia and the United States of America for example are taking important steps to address racial discrimination, issues remain. Racial profiling, high unemployment, over-representation and differential treatment in detention, greater instances of excessive use of lethal force by law enforcement, disproportionate rates of maternal mortality, health and housing inequalities, and food insecurity, persist in these and many other countries around the world.   In countries in the European Union, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights also reported that discrimination, harassment, violence, and racial profiling continue to be routine features of life for Black people.   My Office’s “Agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality” and the recommendations of UN mechanisms, including the International Independent Expert Mechanism to advance racial justice and equality in law enforcement, offer a comprehensive response to systemic issues. As the Coordinator of the International Decade for People of African Descent, I support calls by several States and others to proclaim a Second International Decade for People of African Descent starting in 2025.   This Second International Decade must be informed by the lived experiences, knowledge and expertise of people of African descent - to reverse the culture of denial, dismantle systemic racism in all areas of life, and deliver reparatory justice for the wrongs of the past. I urge States also to draw on the recommendations of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, and other UN anti-racism mechanisms in this process.   Tragically, pushbacks on the rights of women and girls continue. Active resistance to gender equality is a key factor in slowing progress – even reversing gains made – in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. By 2030, women are forecasted to represent the majority of the extreme poor among those aged 15 and above – an increasing gender poverty gap.   I deplore the ongoing systemic persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan, particularly regardingtheir rights to education, employment, and freedom of movement. More broadly, human rights defenders and media workers continue to be arbitrarily arrested and detained for expressing opinions perceived as critical of the de facto authorities. The use of corporal punishment, including mass floggings, persists, in violation of international law. Attacks by armed groups against civilians, particularly targeting the Hazara community, continue.   In the Islamic Republic of Iran, we continue to receive reports of violent crackdowns, including widespread arrests, against women and girls for not wearing the hijab as instructed, as new measures to enforce the hijab law are implemented. The draft bill "supporting the Family by Promoting the Culture of Chastity and Hijab" threatens to impose additional restrictive and punitive measures on women and girls. More generally, ahead of the presidential elections, I urge respect for the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, and protection of journalists. I also reiterate my call for an immediate moratorium on the death penalty, given the reported spike in executions since the beginning of the year.   While I have mentioned only some more salient examples, and there are more, let me be clear. No country is immune from regression in women’s rights. Everyone must be vigilant and steadfast in countering this pushback.   And with the same determination, challenge harmful narratives, embrace inclusivity and respect the rights and dignity of everyone, everywhere.   I once again warn of the dangers of antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, as well as divisive rhetoric and disinformation that cast migrants and refugees as the scapegoats for wider challenges in society, including socio-economic issues. This has become particularly fashionable among populists and far right extremists in election campaigns in Europe, North America and elsewhere.   And a lot more work needs to be done to stem ongoing discrimination and exclusion on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Any form of hate speech is unacceptable, dangerous for social cohesion and a harbinger of worse to come.   Attacks continue against human rights defenders, journalists, and others who seek to shed light on violations and abuses, as do restrictions on civic space. We must do better for their protection.   According to data from UNESCO, 72 journalists and media workers were killed in 2023, in large part in conflict situations. Data compiled by my Office shows that at least 42 Indigenous human rights defenders were killed in 2023 in 11 countries, most of them for defending the environment, their lands, territories, and resources. This is almost certainly under-reported.   In Guatemala, I welcome the Government´s efforts to establish new mechanisms to strengthen protection of human rights defenders, journalists, Indigenous leaders, and justice officials, as they continue to be under attack for having defended human rights, denounced corruption, and called for accountability.   In Yemen, however, I am deeply worried about the well-being of 13 United Nations national staff who, along with dozens of staff from national and international NGOs and civil society, have been arbitrarily detained by the de facto authorities since 6 June. Six of them, including one woman, are my national staff and have not had contact with their families, nor has the UN been able to access them. This is in addition to two UNESCO staff and two other of my staff who have already been arbitrarily detained for a lengthy period. The de facto authorities must immediately and unconditionally release them, and harassment of their families must stop. I call on all States with influence to take urgent action to end this situation.   The situation in Belarus continues to be very troubling. My Office continues to receive reports of restrictions on freedoms of assembly, association, and expression, and persistent impunity. Over 1,300 people remain imprisoned on politically motivated and vague charges.   I urge the authorities in Azerbaijan to review, in line with international human rights law, all cases of journalists, activists, and other individuals arbitrarily deprived of their liberty and to ensure their protection against ill-treatment. All individuals arbitrarily detained must be immediately released.   A worrying trend in terms of civic space is the consideration or adoption of so-called “transparency” or “foreign influence” laws in over 50 countries, including in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, India, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Slovakia and Turkiye. These laws risk having serious chilling effects on the work of civil society, freedom of expression and of association.   In recent months, in Peru, the Congress has advanced a series of legislative initiatives that could undermine judicial and electoral independence, reverse important gains on transitional justice and on women´s political participation and restrict freedom of association and expression.   In Mexico, I call on the authorities to ensure accountability for the violence and killings that occurred during the electoral period, including of politicians.   I have continued to engage with China on a range of human rights issues, including the serious concerns my Office identified in the Xinjiang region. My Office recently visited Beijing to discuss, among other things, problematic provisions in China’s counterterrorism and criminal laws, as well as the application of national security laws in Hong Kong SAR. My Office continues to raise individual cases of concern, and I deplore the heavy sentences given last week to a women’s rights activist and to a labour rights activist for exercising their fundamental human rights.   I urge the authorities to release all those arbitrarily detained, ensure access to information by family members and embark on legal reform. I acknowledge the dialogue of the authorities with my Office and hope this will contribute to concrete improvements in all human rights.   In the Southeast Asia region, there is a pattern emerging of transnational repression whereby human rights defenders seeking refuge in neighbouring countries have been subject to rendition and refoulement or disappeared and even killed. There are indications this trend may be becoming a global one and so I urge all States to have zero tolerance for such actions and to ensure full accountability of their security forces.   Last year’s commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights demonstrated the strength of our commitment to the universality and indivisibility of human rights. Almost 800 pledges were made to advance economic, social, and cultural rights, the right to development, the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, and civil and political rights.   We continue to see a significant mobilisation of people around the word demanding change to uphold human rights, equality and justice – nationally, regionally and globally. This includes many young people. It includes people taking extensive personal risk, and who are up against numerous barriers. Human rights provide the solid ground on which such movements can stand.   The international and regional human rights systems, despite significant constraints, continue to deliver for people. Human rights treaty bodies have been groundbreaking on many issues, notably on the environment of late.   Their work is bolstered by that of regional and international courts and tribunals, such as the recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that States have justiciable, positive human rights obligations to protect against the growing risks of climate change.   The International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea’s Advisory Opinion on climate change is another example. It found that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions constitute marine pollution, and that States have a binding obligation under international law to limit temperature rise to no more than 1.5°C.   A March 2024 ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held a State responsible for violating the right to a healthy environment and not protecting against business-related harms to the environment.   Such Courts have also referenced the contributions of United Nations Special Procedures mandate holders, demonstrating the relevance of the system. There are also pending requests for advisory opinions related to climate change before the ICJ and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.   These efforts give momentum – demonstrating that when the various pieces of the regional and global system reinforce each other, change is possible. The reforms in law and practice that flow from the work of these mechanisms may not always make the headlines, but they are crucial to laying out a clear way forward.   In closing, I need to flag one overarching concern. We are seeing increasingly aggressive verbal attacks, threats and reprisals, and virulent social media campaigns against international institutions and mechanisms, including the United Nations generally, my Office, Special Procedures mandate holders, the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court.   This is unacceptable. These institutions were set up and mandated by States precisely to undertake their crucial work — States must facilitate this work and protect it from undue interference and attack.   I would like each of us to think hard about how to ensure that the achievements of the multilateral system are not undermined and that we are able to do our job. States gathered in this very room last December, fully cognizant of the many challenges, and recognised that human rights are a pathway for solutions. A strong and effective human rights system is key to effective multilateral cooperation, and to building a better future for people and planet.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/06/we-must-urgently-find-our-way-back-peace-says-high-commissioner http://news.un.org/en/interview/2024/10/1155806 Visit the related web page
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