On 10 December we mark the International Human Rights Day to commemorate the day in 1948 the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year’s topic “Recover Better Together: Human Rights for All” is very much framed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was chosen to reaffirm the importance of placing human rights at the heart of the recovery from COVID-19, to build back the world we want.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit all of us very hard. All parts of society have been hurt medically, socially, culturally, politically and economically. The pandemic is actually revealing new and exacerbating existing vulnerabilities that pose a serious threat of leaving even more people behind through increased poverty, inequalities, discrimination and exclusion, as well as environmental degradation. 

So, while we are all affected by the pandemic, who is being worst affected by COVID-19? People living in poverty, older persons, persons with disabilities, ethno-linguistic minorities, in particular Roma, single-women with children, families with many children, youth, and the list continues. In other words, those whose voices are rarely heard and listened to in political and economic processes in their society, are those who are often worst harmed by the medical and social impacts of COVID-19. 

As the crises continues it has become increasingly clear that we cannot go back to how the world was before. From this shared tragedy comes the opportunity to build back better by putting human rights at the heart of recovery. The pandemic has reminded us of a simple truth: a world that fully respects, protects and fulfills the human rights of all is a world better prepared to deal with and recover from all crises. 

So what does recover better mean for us? It means to strengthen our commitment to human rights, to implement the recommendations received from international human rights mechanisms, and to achieve the goals set out in the Sustainable Development Agenda. It means strengthening the effectiveness, accountability and inclusiveness of institutions, and building legal and policy frameworks that are consistent with human rights, including by creating social protection systems that reach everyone in need, ensuring a fair, accessible and equitable justice system, establishing health systems that are accessible, acceptable, affordable and of quality, ensuring access to inclusive education systems for all, at all educational levels, effectively protecting and advancing the right to participate in public life, including by adopting positive measures and establishing representation, dialogue and consultation mechanisms that engage marginalized and underrepresented groups in decision making processes, and using nondiscriminatory terminology about and with vulnerable groups. It also means gender mainstreaming, the promotion of a people-centered rule of law, implementation and enhancement of policy coordination and coherence for sustainable development, and mobilizing resources and creating strong multi-stakeholder partnerships that contribute to the protection, respect and fulfilment of human rights. Simply put: We must create a world that is just, inclusive, and equal – and therefore more resilient and prepared to meet future crises. 

Everyone has a unique and distinct role to play in this: individuals, Governments, civil society, grassroot communities, and the private sector. Everyone has a role to play in building a post-COVID world that is better for present and future generations. 

As the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said in her statement at the World Humanitarian Forum High level Meeting in September 2020: 

“We can watch, passively, as inequalities soar and grievances deepen; as suffering and hunger drive more and more people into forced displacement; and as xenophobia and the politics of blame and hatred weaken our capacity to effect multilateral, coordinated solutions.

Or we can grasp the need to work together, and build back better paradigms, in which global solidarity is seen as a value in the interests of every State, and progress towards universal health care, universal social protection and other fundamental human rights are seen, not as costs, but as investments in justice for all.

For me, the choice is clear. At this 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations – at a time of global disaster and great challenges – I choose to build on that commitment to fundamental and universal rights, and our experience of common action in the cause of shared goals.”

Bea FERENCI, Head of the UN Human Rights Office in Moldova

Disclaimer: This editorial is developed in the context of the Human Rights Awareness Campaign “Recover Better Together: Human Rights for All” launched by UN Moldova under the guidance of the UN Human Rights Office Moldova.