Jeddah, December 10 (BNA): The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has joined the international community in highlighting the importance of adhering to the human rights principles of participation, equality and non-discrimination to mitigate violence. The effects of the global pandemic in a way that “no one is left behind.”
In observance of International Human Rights Day 2021, the Commission welcomed the 2021 theme “Reducing Inequality, Advance Human Rights” which reflects a timely call for all governments to adopt comprehensive and participatory policies in efforts to recover from the ongoing pandemic.
The commission said that the 2030 Agenda must be pursued in a manner consistent with the obligations of states under international human rights law, which includes their responsibility to respect, protect and fulfill economic, social and cultural rights for all without any discrimination.
The cumulative political, social and economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic present an imminent threat to the promotion and protection of human rights with diminished freedoms, widening disparities and increasing marginalization of people in vulnerable situations.
These include women and girls, the elderly, people with disabilities, migrants and refugees, minorities and people living under occupation or in situations of armed conflict.
The pandemic has also demonstrated that the world needs structural changes to effectively eliminate inequality beyond ambitious political rhetoric that fails to inspire real action.
Hence, the post-Covid-19 era should not be guided by the simple need to remedy the damage done by the pandemic, but rather to change the structures that could not protect the vulnerable during the crisis.
The committee stressed that human rights should be the guiding criterion in shaping the response after the pandemic, whether for a public health emergency or the broader impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.
Implementing the 2030 Agenda from a human rights-based approach can address a myriad of these challenges, which address the structural causes of discrimination and inequality, empower rights holders and hold those responsible to account.
While the committee reiterated the appropriate call to “leave no one behind”, the committee also stressed the need to “move everyone forward” as actions are needed to promote equal opportunity so that people have the option to progress beyond basic sustenance.
To embark on a global and equitable recovery, the Commission also recommended the need for debt relief, enabling low-income developing countries with fiscal space to mitigate crises and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals to ensure the basic human rights of their people. .
In this context, the Commission also highlighted the vital link between international cooperation and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by developing countries, which should be expanded to harmonize the global financial and economic architecture as articulated in the Right to Development.
Accordingly, the Committee urged all countries to adopt a legally binding instrument on the right to development, as a matter of priority, to contribute effectively to the timely and non-discriminatory achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.