'Realising Rights, Changing Lives' -- The impact of the United Nations human rights system on the enjoyment of children’s rightsUNICEF / Universal Rights Group policy report launch

Video statement by United Nations High Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet

8 December, 15h00 (CET)

Dear colleagues,

I commend UNICEF and the Universal Rights Group for this important initiative. It highlights the crucial role of the human rights mechanisms, such as the Universal Periodic Review, Special Procedures and the Treaty Bodies, in bringing positive change in the lives of children.

Supporting States to close the gap between human rights obligations and their implementation on the ground is my Office’s top operational priority -- and an urgent one.

Multiple global crises, such as COVID-19, its social and economic fallout and the climate emergency, are challenging people’s rights, including children. Decades of progress risk being reversed, exacerbating inequalities. Those who were already the most vulnerable are suffering the worst impacts, especially in the poorest countries.

Protecting and advancing human rights, including the rights of all children, is the foundation for recovering better -- into more just, equal and resilient societies.

The United Nations human rights system, with all its mechanisms, plays a crucial role in indicating the path to a more inclusive and sustainable recovery.

The six country examples in the report speak for themselves – from Montenegro to Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Mongolia and Uruguay. And there are many more.

The study also shows how the UN system, NGOs and rights groups are increasingly engaged with international human rights mechanisms, bringing critical issues to the table ahead of State party reviews. At the same time, it also highlights the impact that the timely and concerted implementation of the recommendations adopted by mechanisms can have on individuals, communities and the society as a whole.

In that regard, I welcome UNICEF’s long-standing engagement with the human rights mechanisms, showing how human rights work can be effectively mainstreamed across the UN.

My Office will continue to facilitate efforts in this regard.

For example, we have recently updated the Universal Human Rights Index, an online database available in all UN languages, providing easier access to over 170,000 observations and recommendations made by human rights mechanisms to States.

It is also encouraging to see an increasing number of States willing to track their progress with the help of the National Recommendations Tracking Database, an online tool developed by my Office. The Database supports States in developing targeted actions and bridging the mechanisms’ recommendations into actual human rights improvements in the countries.

Colleagues,

Human rights mechanisms are complementary to one other; individually and collectively, they can help answer the Secretary-General’s call for human rights to be transformative and provide solutions.

I thank UNICEF for its excellent cooperation with the human rights mechanisms.

Together, we can continue to advance children’s rights worldwide.