Club de MadridSession: Call to Action – Multilateralism Must Deliver

Video message by United Nations Human Rights
30 October 2020

Colleagues,
Friends,

I am pleased to join you in such an important dialogue.

The challenges before us are diverse, complex and shared by the whole world.

Global issues, as we all know, demand global answers.

For the benefit of one and all, multilateralism must deliver.

A rights-based approach is essential to addressing numerous challenges, particularly in the context of COVID-19.

It is clear that recovering better from the pandemic requires more human rights – not less.

COVID-19 has exposed the dramatic effects of decades of under-spending in health, social protection and housing, as well as of policies which erode labour rights and decent work opportunities.

By doing so, the pandemic has also highlighted the centrality of economic, social and cultural rights.

It has emphasized the role they play in fostering societies that would, if anything else, be much better equipped to face complex crises such as the one today. 

These are lessons we must learn.

Had we walked further on our path to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, by ensuring universal healthcare and social protection, for example, our societies would been far more resilient to this pandemic. And we would have been able to better protect the most vulnerable, those who have been disproportionately affected, particularly people belonging to ethnic or racial minorities.

Since the beginning of the crisis, many governments have indeed adopted relief packages, including economic stimulus, which protect social and economic rights, even when these measures are not being presented in such terms.

But these should not be emergency only. COVID-19 response and recovery measures should contribute to longer term objectives, including reducing inequalities, increasing public spending on healthcare and social protection for all, improving governance, transparency and participation.

From the outset, my Office has issued extensive guidance on several thematic areas, with the purpose to ensure human rights standards shape States’ effective and inclusive recovery efforts.

We have addressed the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls; people of African descent, indigenous peoples and minorities, children, older people and those with disabilities; migrants and refugees. We have emphasized issued such as emergency measures, stigma and misinformation, among other topics.

A major part of our efforts has been addressing the impact of COVID-19 on economic and social rights, including issues related to sanctions and national debt burdens. I have also been very vocal in advocating for universal social protection, including universal health coverage, and for an end to discrimination of any kind.  

Together with our partners, we have been working with countries on their response plans including the inclusion of marginalized populations.

My Office is also supporting UN Country Teams to help policy-makers at every level evaluate the varying impacts of the pandemic on different communities. With other UN partners, we have developed human rights indicators and a checklist for a Human Rights-Based Approach to Socio-Economic Country Responses to COVID-19. Both provide internal guidance to UN staff on how to apply human rights to COVID-19 socio-economic impact assessments and response and recovery plans.

All of these notes and activities provide concrete recommendations and good practices to mitigate the human rights impact of the pandemic, including on social and economic rights.

My Office has also contributed significantly to several Secretary-General’s policy briefs ensuring a human rights based approach to both response and recovery efforts.

Our overall goal is to leave no one behind.

For that, it has become evident that we need the participation of all sectors of society.

We will continue to work with civil society and all other partners to promote people’s access to information and the right to participate in shaping the policies that impact their lives.

The private sector is also an essential partner.  Many businesses have demonstrated their ability and readiness to adapt while continuing to place people at the centre. Conducting human rights due diligence is essential for businesses to prevent and address potential risks from their responses.

My office will soon be issuing COVID-19 specific guidance on business and human rights which can hopefully assist companies, policy makers, civil society and other stakeholders in adapting responses to the pandemic in line with key standards such as the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights.

Colleagues,

As the Secretary-General said, the pandemic “has underscored the need for a strengthened and renewed multilateralism”.

Strong global cooperation and deep solidarity are essential.

And so are global policies that prioritise civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

As we recover from COVID-19, and as mark the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, we all need to come together around human rights. 

And we need to build global support for sustainable, inclusive and climate-sensitive growth.

This is multilateralism in action. It must deliver.

Together, I am optimistic we can recover better.

Thank you.