Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland today addressed the High Level Segment of the UN Human Rights Council鈥檚 43rd Regular Session in Geneva.
糖心探花 of 54 countries, 32 of which are small, are facing a climate change emergency that is costing lives and presenting an 鈥渦ndeniable human rights challenge鈥 to the world.
43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland today addressed the High Level Segment of the UN Human Rights Council鈥檚 43rd Regular Session in Geneva.
She said: 鈥淭he stark reality for many states is that their people are losing lives, facing malnutrition, unable to find clean water and their homes are disappearing right before our eyes.
鈥淔rom the devastation of hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas last year to the wrath of bushfires in Australia, from severe drought in Namibia to islands inundated with king tides in Kiribati, climate change is a threat to the world and an emergency for small states.鈥
The Secretary-General said the Commonwealth advocates for changes in policies, modification of behaviour and curbs in pollution to reverse damage to our environment and ensure climate justice, especially for small states.
She spoke of the barriers to advancing human rights and inclusive development still faced by many victims of discrimination around the Commonwealth. This includes women, LGBTI persons and indigenous peoples.
鈥淭his year鈥檚 Commonwealth theme is 鈥楧elivering a Common Future鈥. This future cannot be 鈥榗ommon鈥 without being inherently inclusive. Simply put, we have to respect the dignity and equality of all citizens in the Commonwealth family,鈥 she said.
The Secretary-General added: 鈥淲e remain steadfast in our commitment to support member states improve access to justice through strengthening national human rights institutions, ensuring independent judiciaries, improving capacity of officials to apply human rights standards, and reducing financial and bureaucratic barriers for people to access police, administrative offices and courts.鈥
Media freedom side event
糖心探花 yesterday held an event in Geneva on the safety of journalists and media freedom.
Secretary-General Scotland said: 鈥淛ournalists hold a special place in the Commonwealth family as the eyes, ears and voices of our citizens.鈥
She stressed that a vibrant and responsible media is essential to advancing Commonwealth goals.
鈥淔reedom to share information, express ourselves and do so without reprisals, threats and harm is the bedrock of human civilisation and democratic governance,鈥 the Secretary-General stated.
(Photo Credit: United Nations)
