COVID-19 pandemic recovery through a human rights lens: What contribution from parliaments?

Virtual global workshop for parliamentarians organized by the IPU and OHCHR

29 June 2021

Opening remarks by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet

Excellencies,

Honourable Members of Parliament,

Friends,

I warmly welcome you to this virtual workshop we have jointly organized with the Inter-Parliamentary Union. It bears witness to our deepening, and very useful, partnership with the IPU, which has been further reinforced by the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding this month. The new MOU is in line with priorities that meet the challenges to human rights today, and will allow for continued and increased cooperation in priority areas. They include supporting the establishment and strengthening of specialized human rights committees within parliaments; and promoting and protecting the right to take part in public affairs and the civic space.

For over a year now, the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging our societies and governments. It has powerfully aggravated inequalities and multiple forms of discrimination. It has severely impacted enjoyment of the rights to education, health, housing, decent work and development, among others, not least the right to life. It has wiped out years of vital progress made on many fronts, including the equality of women and girls.

The pandemic has also intensified attacks on human rights defenders, harassment of the press, crackdowns on peaceful assemblies, the deliberate weakening of institutional checks and balances, an overall decline in civil liberties and the growing polarization of many societies.

We have witnessed the adoption of emergency measures that were not always necessary or proportionate, as required by international law. In several countries, measures undermined the rule of law and excessively restricted human rights, including the rights to freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and privacy.

COVID-19 has taught us vital lessons about how to construct more resilient and inclusive societies – including the need for universal health coverage, universal social protection and sustainable and green economies. We have seen just how essential it is to allocate adequate resources for these and other human rights-based reforms.

The pandemic has also shown us the importance of strengthening the foundations of democracy. We need more democratic governance, increased participation, more transparency, and better oversight, in order to build public trust and engage the full contributions of everyone.

Overcoming the pandemic requires concerted action by all of society in line with the compelling recommendations of human rights bodies. We need to ensure no one is pushed behind, or left behind.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Parliaments have been key in discussing human-rights based responses; assessing the economic and human rights impact of Government COVID-19 measures; and addressing the needs and concerns of those most affected and most vulnerable.

Parliaments need to oversee Governments' responses to the pandemic, to ensure they are inclusive, fair and non-discriminatory. To be effective, policies need to be developed with the active participation of all those affected, including women. Women have been poorly represented in Government COVID-19 Task Forces around the world – but leaving half the population out of the crisis response ultimately increases the harm done to all.

I also encourage Parliaments to promote inclusive and non-discriminatory dialogue on issues such as racism, xenophobia, ethnic, religious or other intolerance, and bias related to COVID-19.

All emergency measures, including the derogation or suspension of certain rights, should be subject to periodic and independent review by Parliament, and must respect national and international law.

Given their direct links with grass-roots activists and national human rights institutions, Parliaments are well positioned to understand and prevent violations of human rights, and to ensure better protection, especially of vulnerable groups. This essential representative function of Parliament can be a crucial factor in better and more inclusive recovery across all of society. By refocusing action on ending poverty, inequalities and discrimination, in line with international human rights standards, we can address the underlying human rights concerns that have left every society vulnerable to the pandemic – and greatly exacerbated its effects.

I encourage all of you to explore how parliaments can rebuild the public's trust in democracy and the legitimacy of public institutions.

Engagement with international human rights mechanisms at all stages and using their output is also instrumental, including the General Comments and recommendations made by Treaty Bodies, and recommendations stemming from the Human Rights Council's Special Procedures and Universal Periodic Review.

Our 2018 report on synergies between Parliaments and the work of the Human Rights Council, which was produced in cooperation with the IPU, contains information on current practices of engagement with the UPR by Parliamentary human rights committees, as well as draft Principles for States' consideration and further action.

These principles offer practical guidance and good practices from all regions regarding the mandate and composition of Parliamentary human rights committees. Such committees can be key to ensuring that COVID 19 response and recovery measures are solidly based on human rights. In this regard, I welcome the timely initiative by Uzbekistan regarding the tabling of a UN General Assembly resolution on Parliaments, SDGs and Human Rights at the forthcoming 76^th session, which endorses the Principles.

Moreover, my Office has issued a series of detailed and immediately actionable guidance papers on key human rights issues that should be addressed in response to the pandemic. In addition, we have also developed Tips for parliamentarians for engaging in the UPR process. We are also willing to explore capacity-building opportunities to enhance Parliaments' work.

I look forward to your remarks and advice on all these issues.

Thank you