Celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to be with you today to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Let me first of all thank the Core Group of Permanent Observer Delegations to the UN for bringing us together today; here, in the Palais des Nations, which for many decades now has been the place to put into practice that powerful ideal expressed in the very first article of the Universal Declaration: that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

Opening today’s discussion, I would like to make three brief observations:

̶ One, looking back at the impact of the Declaration.
̶ Two, looking at the present, at the challenges the Declaration faces.
̶ And three, looking ahead, at what we need to do to keep the promise of the Declaration alive.

Human rights, one historian recently observed, “are best understood as survivors: the ideal that did not fail while other political ideologies did.”

And indeed, many grand narratives that like communism shaped the last century have over time lost their luster - collapsing on the weight of their own contradictions; falling into the unbridgeable gap between ideal and reality.

Not so human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration.

No other document in history has been translated into as many languages, and in every one of them it brought inspiration, hope and meaning to millions of people.

It has empowered women and men the world over to march together and claim their right to freedom of speech and belief; to freedom from fear and want; to fair access to justice and economic opportunity.

These rights belong to everyone, everywhere; they have neither physical nor moral frontier.

They do not belong only to the north, south, east or west; they do not belong only to developed or developing nations. They are independent of nationality, circumstance, gender, race, or religion.
They are universal - which is why it is so fitting that today’s celebration is organized by representatives from across the world.

Yet why did the idea of human rights persevere, while so many others remained utopian fantasies?

My answer may surprise you, but I believe it is because they are not utopian at all; they are tangible; they are felt in a very real and direct way by every person on the planet.

Human rights are about improving the world a step at a time, not saving it in one grand stroke
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They begin - as Eleanor Roosevelt said - “in small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world.”

The story of the success of human rights is not about any one singular event. Their success is the result of thousands and thousands of actions by courageous individuals across the world; it’s a story of incremental, not sudden progress.

But progress, nonetheless, that has been real, broad, and deep.

Progress that we can measure in tangible improvements in the reality of our lives. We can measure it in the number of conflicts prevented and disputes resolved by the impartial workings of justice; in societies that have become more open, inclusive, and ultimately more prosperous.

We can measure it in an entire generation that has grown up in a world that by most measures and in most places has become steadily healthier and wealthier and less violent and more tolerant during the course of our lifetimes.

It is no accident of history that this was achieved in the decades since the Universal Declaration and the multilateral institutions that support it came into being. There is a direct connection here.
Today, however, we see the very foundations of this progress challenged:

̶ We see multilateralism challenged by a nationalist and isolationist politics of fear and resentment.
̶ And we see human rights and the rule of law derided as “nice-to-haves” or simply ignored.
These are no abstract challenges. They translate into real suffering and existential danger.

History shows us that wherever human rights are violated, violent conflict and the collapse of state-institutions are rarely far behind.

And when multilateralism fragments, it’s not just that human rights are more vulnerable to abuse; the violent conflicts that ensue become themselves much more difficult to contain, much less easy to control.

Today, it’s not only that we are still far from fully realizing the universal aspirations of the Declaration; in some places, we even risk backsliding.

Which is why we once again find ourselves at a crossroads. One path leads backwards to the old way of zero-sum competition and brute power politics; the other path continues the journey, started 70 years ago, towards the ideals of dignity, cooperation and solidarity.

I am convinced that only the second path - guided by a respect for human rights and in pursuit of multilateral solutions - is the only credible path we can take to successfully address the challenges we face today.

And there are concrete steps we can take to get ahead.

̶ Supporting and defending the invaluable work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
̶ Ratifying and implementing Human Rights instruments, treaties and conventions.
̶ Giving a voice to civil society in the decision-making process.

And above all: redoubling our efforts in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are integrated, indivisible and universal and they have one thing in common: they are all anchored in human rights.

At the core of the 2030 Agenda is the prosperity, dignity and well-being of all people, with the promise to leave no one behind.

But if that means anything, it must mean helping the most vulnerable: the victims of injustice, inequality and oppression.

Defending human rights and supporting the 2030 Agenda are one and the same.

Some of you might remember Kofi Annan’s point that - and I quote - “the human family will not enjoy development without security, will not enjoy security without development, and will not enjoy either without respect for human rights”.

This interdependence is built into every single Goal - whether in achieving gender equality, promoting equitable growth, or ending poverty.

In fact, more than 90% of the 169 targets reflect core international human rights or labour standards.
So here is why - despite the headwinds we face - I’m ultimately hopeful about the future.

Because we know what works and because we have agreed to do it - 193 Member States united behind 17 Goals.

And because we are building on the living legacy of perhaps the most constructive movement in human history - the movement for human rights.

As we celebrate the achievements of those that came before us, let us take courage from their actions and commit to push ahead - together and everywhere, on the global stage of the United Nations as much as in those “small places, close to home.”

Thank you very much for having organized this meeting.