Interactive session of the 8th Human Rights Summer School

Nada Al-Nashif, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights

29 June 2021

Thank you for inviting me to speak at the Human Rights Summer School in Kazan. I have very fond memories of Kazan. I was there in July 2017 with UNESCO; we hosted an International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sports.

I recall the warm hospitality, the dynamic young volunteers, the rich cultural exhibits and shows. I know Kazan is hosting the Special Olympics World Winter Games next January (2022) and I am sure it will be spectacular.

We meet today under very different circumstances. The world has changed; it is facing a global pandemic and a massive global recession. COVID-19 has been a fast-moving global health crisis, and it has compounded slower and more entrenched, political, social and economic crises.

As with many crises, we have learnt important lessons. And, as you take the week to reflect on human rights and youth in the current global context, I would like to share some thoughts about these lessons.

Lesson #1: COVID-19 zeroed in on the social and economic fractures created by gaps in human rights protection. As a result, the pandemic moved through our societies with accelerated speed, revealing fragilities created by discrimination and inequalities.

Lesson #2: The pandemic demonstrated the powerful and effective protection that is afforded by human rights-based policies and measures. Policies that ensure universal and equal access to social protections and health care; institutions promoting diversity of views; and laws that ensure access to justice to support social and economic resilience. These are the foundation of economic prosperity and political stability. Countries that had pre-existing systems to deliver affordable and accessible health care protected their people from the worst impacts of the economic and social aftershocks and preventing the escalation of tensions and grievances into violence. Looking ahead, we can and must build back societies that are resilient and fair.

Lesson #3: We are collectively stronger and more resilient when we can count on cooperation and solidarity between nations. Within this context, the challenge of vaccine equity raises a real set of ethical dilemmas. According to recent reports, 90 per cent of the population in 67 low-income countries will not be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, while some States that are more affluent have purchased enough doses to vaccinate their entire populations multiple times over by the end of 2021. We should be building global support for sustainable, inclusive and climate-sensitive growth.

Our collective priority is to make sure that all countries have safe and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccine. To bring the pandemic under control, we need to ensure that safe and effective vaccines are made available as widely as possible and as quickly as possible, reducing inequalities and making sure no country or territory is left behind. Sputnik V has the advantage that it is affordable and easy to transport, appealing to many outside the country. Sputnik V was authorized in over 60 countries worldwide as of June 2021 and some countries have started developing joint production, including India, ROK and China. By producing a vaccine that is easily accessible for countries struggling with the cost of vaccinating their population, Russia is contributing to vaccine equity and global solidarity.

A greater effort to fulfil the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development would have mitigated a great deal of the suffering we see today – and we need to strongly advance on that agenda in the remaining decade. It is an Agenda anchored in human rights, targeting social justice outcomes and promising to "leave no one behind".

From the outset, our Office has issued extensive guidance on several thematic areas especially impacted by the pandemic, to ensure that human rights standards shape States' effective and inclusive recovery efforts. We have looked at 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, people living in conflict and under sanctions. We have emphasized issued such as emergency measures, stigma and misinformation.

Together with our United Nations partners, we have been working with countries on response plans including the inclusion of marginalized populations. We have developed human rights indicators and advice on Human Rights-Based Approaches to Socio-Economic Country Responses to COVID-19. Our objective was to propose concrete recommendations and good practices to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, on all rights and segments of the population. We have started to build back, let us make sure we can "recover" better.

This will be among the biggest challenges of your lifetime. The world needs you: a new generation of leaders. You are aware of dilemmas, but you are also aware of the solutions, and we believe the role of human rights is key. The right to life, liberty and security of person. The right to education, health, food, shelter and social security. Freedom from any form of discrimination, whether based on race, belief, sexual orientation or any other factor. Freedom of expression and the right to privacy. Freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Freedom from torture, and from unlawful or arbitrary arrest or detention.

Last but not least, the climate emergency is the most crucial issue for humanity: an over-arching, comprehensive threat to human rights. Unless States live up to their commitments under the Paris Agreement to take more powerful action to reduce emissions and limit climate change, we risk the devastation of natural systems on which we all rely for health, wellbeing and survival.

Young people are keenly aware of the challenges presented by the climate crisis. Their unprecedented mobilization globally shows the power they possess to hold decision-makers accountable. Their message is clear: this is critical for inter-generational justice and the fate of our Planet Earth hangs in the balance.

You are the vanguard of climate action. Whether through education, science or technology, young people have scaled up efforts to accelerate climate action. At the heart of such mobilization, the call for justice stems from the negative impacts of climate change, disproportionately affecting persons and communities already marginalised, discriminated against or living in poverty. Persons, communities and States that occupy and rely upon low-lying coastal lands, tundra, Arctic ice, arid lands and other delicate ecosystems for their housing and subsistence face the greatest threats from climate change. We continue to call for the international community to give a voice to youth and to affected communities to enable their effective participation and contribution to decision-making on climate policy as agents of change.

Climate action is yet again another example of the importance of human rights based policies and approached. I am convinced that with human rights at the heart of our response, we can rebuild better our societies based on dialogue, cooperation, and respect. With that, I would like to open the floor and encourage you to engage in an open and interactive conversation.