Oral Statement at the 61st Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Item 8: General Debate
Delivered by Sigrid Lipott, CIVICUS
Mr President,
CIVICUS underscores the enduring relevance of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA). Twenty-three years on, many of the challenges the Declaration sought to address remain pressing.
The VDPA reminds us that ‘The promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms must be considered as a priority objective of the United Nations (UN) in accordance with its purposes and principles, in particular the purpose of international cooperation’.
It is primarily the obligation of States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms and ensure that human rights violations and abuses are addressed, including holding those responsible to account. We are particularly concerned about the widespread impunity for grave human rights violations, including those related to the legitimate exercise of core civic freedoms.
States and the UN system have the responsibility to ensure that those who monitor and report on human rights violations are not only shielded, but actively protected, including from reprisals withing and outside the UN system. Current threats and reprisals against civil society actors constitute grave acts against the proper functioning of the human rights system.
Amid militarization and escalating crises, it is also more urgent than ever to address global challenges with a multilateral and multistakeholder response. We encourage States from across all world regions to re-commit to human rights, the international rule of law, and multilateral cooperation, guided by the UN Charter and the principles of trust, equity, solidarity and universality.
We call upon all States to join the Group of Friends of Multilateralism, supporting the rules-based international order, a multilateral system that is inclusive, accessible, responsive for rights holders, and sufficiently resourced, and an enabling environment for civil society, whose voices are crucial to accountability and credibility of the human rights system. We urge the cross-regional group of States to ensure meaningful, consistent and timely civil society consultation on global matters of common concern, creating a permanent platform for dialogue and cooperation with civil society on issues of multilateralism and international solidarity.
We thank you.
