UN Foundation ‘We the Peoples’ Awards

Greetings to all of you.

On behalf of all my staff, I am deeply grateful and honoured to accept the UN Heroes award from the UN Foundation.

 I'd like to dedicate this distinction in particular to my human rights colleagues in the field, who live and work in more than 90 locations with commitment and unwavering passion, accompanying and sustaining national and local efforts for dignity and rights.

Working with governments, civil society, religious leaders, businesses and members of vulnerable or marginalised communities, our colleagues, including national staff, often operate in a context of very high pressure – and even risk.

Over the past two years, pandemic restrictions on movement have heightened the difficulty and danger of monitoring human rights violations, while also making that work even more important.

Monitoring human rights violations and abuses is the key to targeted, practical human rights technical assistance and advocacy that can have real impact.

Many of our staff also spend a significant portion of time on capacity building– for government officials, for members of security and police forces, and for civil society groups.  The core drive is to translate human rights into practical measures: how to manage peaceful protests; how to set up fiscal policies that make it possible for everyone to have access to social protections; how to ensure that women and girls, young people and members of minority communities can raise their voices and participate fully in the life of a nation.

We also work in the longer term, to help governments to strengthen laws and institutions that protect rights. And we seek to empower human rights defenders and civil society activists in all their diversity and ensure civic space is protected, so that they can effectively conduct dialogue and work to advance respect for human rights.

The pandemic has exposed a raft of inequalities. Health systems have been pushed to the limit, leaving the vulnerable without care. Poverty rates have soared. Social protection gaps have widened. Deep-rooted discrimination has become even further entrenched. And many Governments have taken the opportunity of the pandemic to advance new restrictions on the work of civil society.

The triple planetary threat of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss threatens even more extensive harm.

Undeniably, we are living in a fragile world. We need to  take bold and courageous steps – together – to bring about genuine change and advance the resilient societies we need to tackle these crises.

On the eve of Human Rights Day, we’re echoing the Secretary-General’s urgent call for the whole UN to advance a Common Agenda and a new social contract, with equality and human rights at their core.

Human rights must be placed front and centre, to ensure that we are all equal in dignity and rights.

This is our collective responsibility, and if we live up to it, I am positive we can move towards a strong recovery. In that context, I want to pay tribute to the work of the UN Foundation. Through your commitment and dedication to the principles of the United Nations, and your unwavering support for human rights, you drive and inspire collective action on some of the most important issues of our time.  

Thank you for honouring our work with this award. We are proud to be in the company of a long line of remarkable recipients.

And thank you for your important contributions to our universal human rights.