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The United Nations (UN) in Zimbabwe today marked the Human Rights 75 Initiative and launched the monthly thematic focus for June on Women’s Rights.
Addressing delegates at a media briefing in Harare today, Mr. Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Zimbabwe alluded to the fact that seventy-five years ago, in response to the atrocities that took place during World War II, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“This milestone document was drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world. It was an expression of humanity’s revival, an international commitment to never allow such horrific acts to take place again and for the first time, through its 30 Articles, it set out fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
“As the title suggests, this instrument is universal – meaning it applies to all people, in all countries around the world without exception. In its preamble, the UDHR starts off with a very powerful statement that reverberates today – that recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world,” Mr. Kallon said.
He, however, noted that rights violations reverberate across borders and across generations.
“These can be, must be, collectively overcome. As the world faces challenges, new and ongoing pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, moral bankruptcy, global financial system collapse, racism, and climate change – the values, and rights enshrined in the UDHR provide guideposts for our collective actions that do not leave anyone behind.”
To commemorate the adoption of this milestone document and what it means for the UN and stakeholders going forward, Mr. Kallon revealed that the High Commissioner for Human Rights launched the Human Rights 75 Initiative to commemorate and strengthen a movement for a better world.
As a global UN Initiative:
- Human Rights 75 seeks to promote universality, honour diversity, strengths, and achievements of the many communities striving to address today’s global challenges. It reminds us that human rights are non-negotiable and we reclaim it as a foundation on which to find solutions to our common challenges.
- Human Rights 75 seeks to harness the potential of latest breakthroughs through all means, including technology, and anticipate the challenges that will benefit from their application.
- Human Rights 75 – supports engaging and working with Member States and all the relevant actors to build a positive force for change with trust in the human rights architecture, faith in its promise, and resources to apply the tools that are necessary to ensure rights are upheld.
He reiterated that one of the key objectives of the Human Rights 75 Initiative is to generate pledges that bring about concrete change towards greater enjoyment of human rights, mainly from Governments, but also from other actors, such as parliaments, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations, international financial institutions, business, and young people, etc.
Mr. Kallon emphasised that these Human Rights 75 pledges are commitments to take specific actions or actions, with the aim of promoting and protecting human rights. He insisted that the pledge must be transformative, innovative, and catalytic, with a significant impact on the enjoyment of human rights. All UN Member States have been urged to propose at least one and up to five flagship pledges as part of Human Rights 75.
“In order to trigger one or more flagship pledges, Governments including the Government of Zimbabwe, are encouraged to organise a country dialogue in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to discuss key human rights issues, exchange positive stories and above all discuss what is needed to achieve progress in the area of human rights.
“To facilitate some of these national dialogues and discussions, the Office of the High Commissioner has proposed monthly thematic spotlights which cover the whole range of human rights. For June, the thematic spotlight is on women’s rights with a focus on the critical importance of women’s and girls’ participation in power and decision-making for achieving gender equality, sustainable development, and lasting peace,” he added.
The UN senior official revealed that the youth are the backbone of any nation and cognisant of that, the High Commissioner for Human Rights has established a Youth Advisory Group to ensure that the voices of young people and children are heard. The Youth Advisory Group is comprised of 12 young people from all regions.
Mr. Kallon said that the UN globally and in Zimbabwe, working with various stakeholders including Government will conduct activities to advance the Human Rights 75 Initiative that will run throughout the year. All the activities organised under the auspices of the Human Rights 75 Initiative will culminate in a High-Level Event which will take place from 11 to 12 December 2023 at which a pledging event will be conducted and a vision for the next 25 years crafted as a contribution to the 2024’s Secretary General’s Summit of the Future. The December event will be designed as a hybrid event, allowing physical and virtual participation for all.
In her remarks, UN Women’s Country Representative for Zimbabwe, Ms. Fatou Lo said the Declaration for Human Rights reflects an agreement that equality, freedom, and justice are values that can drive a thriving society where everyone experiences equal access to opportunities.
“Attaining equality between women and men and eliminating all forms of discrimination against women are fundamental human rights and United Nations values. Women around the world and indeed in this country regardless regularly continue to suffer human rights violations throughout their lives, and realizing women’s rights has not always been a priority,” Ms. Lo said.
According a 2022 World Bank Report, nearly 2.4 Billion Women Globally Don’t Have the same Economic Rights as Men. In 86 countries, women face some form of job restriction and 95 countries do not guarantee equal pay for equal work.
UN Women research states that, less than 20 percent of the world’s landholders are women. In sub-Saharan Africa as agricultural landholder’s women only make up an average of 15 percent.
In view of some of these imbalances, no meaningful social contract is ever possible without the active and equal participation of women and girls. Equal participation in leadership, economic inclusion, and gender-balanced decision-making are simply better for everyone, men, and women alike.
Achieving equality between women and men requires a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which women experience discrimination and are denied equality to develop appropriate strategies to eliminate such discrimination.
The United Nations has a long history of addressing women’s rights and around the world much progress has been made by some governments and in this country in securing women’s rights in recent decades. However, important gaps remain, and women’s realities are constantly changing, with new manifestations of discrimination against women regularly emerging.