Presentation of OHCHR's 2017 Annual Report to States

Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

1 June 2018

Excellencies,

I am delighted to present the Annual Report of the UN Human Rights Office.

This is work we can be proud of. Our achievements have been notable, both in the course of the past year and over the four-year planning cycle which ended in 2017. We have pushed forward towards every one of the ambitious targets we set ourselves, despite sharply increasing pressure on human rights around the globe, and where those targets have not been fully met we have reported frankly on our difficulties.

This report spans the normative work we do here in Geneva; the very practical capacity-development and technical cooperation we do on the ground; the crucial monitoring and protection we provide in conflict and disaster zones; and the extensive advocacy we ensure everywhere. Over the past year, we have facilitated 42 new ratifications or accessions to the core human rights treaties, and expanded training programmes to assist States to report to the Treaty Bodies. Our drive to mainstream human rights priorities across the UN made fresh progress with the new United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks. Vital work to support civil society actors in a sharply shrinking democratic space included three regional capacity-building workshops in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, for 100 civil society actors from 43 countries. Our technical cooperation programmes are far too numerous to summarise, but here I would like to highlight four training workshops for almost 100 judges in Serbia, including development of a manual on the application of international human rights law; and in Uganda, a curriculum for the training of judges of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and the High Court, which has opened doors to broad litigation of economic, social and cultural rights.

Reviewing this report has reinforced my confidence in the commitment and expertise of my colleagues, and the essential nature of our mandate. Assisting States to uphold the rights of their peoples is fundamental to preventing conflict, and to the work of building a more peaceful and more sustainably prosperous world.

All of us know that we are facing tough times for human rights. The return of authoritarian populism, which is often grounded in ideas of ethnic supremacy, constitutes a direct threat to the equality of every human being. A new wave of leaders are openly undermining the independence of national rule of law institutions and the media, and taking steps to restrict the space for civic participation. Isolationism, and a narrow focus on short-term political interests, threatens the multilateral discussions which are the only possible premise for solutions that protect everyone's interests – particularly those of smaller and less developed States. We are seeing rising conflicts and a declining commitment to international law.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was born from a disaster that resulted from these same forces, and it constitutes a template of measures that can guide societies away from catastrophe. As you review this report, and its record of the efforts we have undertaken across every region, I urge you to keep in mind the very practical – and practicable – commitments made by States 70 years ago, in the UDHR.

What it says to me is that this is a struggle worth every effort we can bring to it. Over the past four years I have absorbed many lessons; among them, the fact that in promoting and protecting rights, we are pushing back against the increasingly powerful forces of hatred, tyranny, exploitation and violence. The human rights agenda is the prevention agenda.

And we need your help. More than ever, in this time of turbulence and profound anxiety, we ask you to support this work we are doing – with resources and other forms of practical assistance, and with your advocacy and political support.

Just as human rights are far bigger, and more important, than any one Office or Organisation, this Office is broader and more consequential than any one woman or man. In transitioning to a new High Commissioner, my colleagues will maintain their commitment to the goals all of us share: preventing human rights violations, and protecting and promoting rights, through impartial monitoring; advocacy; and carefully targeted assistance.

As the Office enters a new planning cycle – which has been built on the basis of extensive consultations – you will naturally remain informed. I take this occasion to thank you for your participation during my mandate.

Thank you.