Opening Remarks for the 2021 Social Forum

H.E. Ms. Nazhat Shameem Khan, President of the Human Rights Council

11 October 2021

Madam High Commissioner for Human Rights,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Bula Vinaka and Good Day,

It is a pleasure to join you for the opening of the 13th Session of the Social Forum of the Human Rights Council.
Allow me to begin by emphasising the Social Forum’s significant contributions to the Council’s work on key human rights issues, including those related to poverty, inequality and globalization.¹

Indeed, past Social Forums have provided key insights and recommendations on how to best protect the rights of vulnerable groups, including older persons,² persons with disabilities³ , children and youth.⁴ They have also hosted dialogues on how global crises, such as climate change⁵ and HIV/AIDS and other epidemics, impact human rights and how to best respond to them.⁶

And I  am very pleased that this 13th session Social Forum continues the same dynamic, notably focusing this time on the topic of good practices, success stories, lessons learned and challenges in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with a special focus on international cooperation and solidarity, from a human rights perspective. The timing for this meeting couldn't be better as it comes at a crucial moment when the international solidarity is needed more than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic should therefore also be seen as an opportunity: an opportunity for all of us to reaffirm our commitment for international cooperation and effective multilateralism to ensure that no one is left behind and, most importantly, to renew our collective commitment to our shared goals. In this regard, I would like to offer my congratulations to the Chairperson-Rapporteur and his team for bringing together a diverse set of speakers from across the globe.

As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the loss of millions of lives. Millions more have been left with long-term health conditions, have lost their sources of income and have fallen into poverty. The adverse human rights impacts have been wide-ranging.

In this context, I would like to recall that last year, the 12th session of the Social Forum provided us all with preliminary insights into and recommendations on the adverse human rights impacts of poverty, including as related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At that time, the Social Forum called for urgent and bold action to fight against the effects of the pandemic and recover from it, including adopting response packages and policies aiming at a more resilient, equal and sustainable world. In particular, the Social Forum recommended that States should ensure universal access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.⁷

This 13th Social Forum will build on last year’s important discussions. In doing so, this year’s discussions may explore the ways in which COVID-19 disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable populations as well as highlight how longstanding inequalities between countries have been reflected in the divergent impacts from, and responses to, the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the spirit of constructive dialogue, I encourage you all to listen to the voices of those most affected by the pandemic to better understand the multifaceted challenges the world faces in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and to better prepare for future shocks.

Excellencies, dear participants,

No one is safe until everyone is safe. This truism must transcend rhetoric and it must shape our responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I wish you all a fruitful discussion.

Vinaka, I thank you.