Taif emerges as a sanctuary for Arabian horse heritage    International Year of Camelids 2024 under Saudi Presidency concludes    Elm, One sign MoU to enhance strategic partnership and support local content in communications and marketing sector    Commerce Ministry recalls over 88,000 Anker portable chargers over fire risk    Trump says Israel has agreed on terms for 60-day ceasefire in Gaza    New evidence suggests Russian forces shot down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243    Iran's president halts cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog, reports say    Inquiry finds British committed genocide on Indigenous Australians    BTS are back: K-pop band confirm new album and tour    Saudi FM receives message from Iranian counterpart    Cabinet reaffirms Saudi position of resolving conflicts through diplomatic means    Foreign Trade Authority leads Saudi negotiating team in second round of GCC-Japan FTA Talks    Inzaghi hails 'historic' Al Hilal win over Man City: We climbed a mountain with no oxygen    Milinković-Savić says Al Hilal proved critics wrong after historic win over Man City    Al Hilal stuns Man City and stirs the world: 'One of the greatest nights in Saudi club football'    AlUla becomes favorite global summer destination for photography enthusiasts    Michelin Guide launches in Saudi Arabia with phased rollout in 2025    Al Hilal stun Manchester City in seven-goal thriller to reach Club World Cup quarterfinals    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    Historic Jeddah's visual identity re-imagined through global art installations at Al-Arbaeen Lagoon    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Pandemic pushing people ‘even further behind', UN rights chief warns
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 27 - 02 - 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic gathers pace, people worldwide are "being left behind — or pushed even further behind", the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Friday.
Delivering a global update to the Human Rights Council, Michelle Bachelet said people everywhere were being excluded from not only development, but also opportunities.
At the same time, civil society activists were being denied the right to voice opposition to government.
"This makes us all weaker," she told the virtual meeting. "It heightens grievances that are destabilizing. It means we miss perspectives and expertise that could inform and strengthen our initiatives. It shields corruption and abuses, by silencing feedback."
Engage the public
While acknowledging the major health and financial challenges facing governments in the pandemic, the rights chief underlined that "a country's people are its leader's finest and most important resource" and must be involved in policy making.
"Participation is a right — and it is also a means that ensures better, more effective policy," she said. "To help heal harms, bridge deep fractures, and lead change that meets expectations, every society, and every leader, needs to engage the public's participation, fully and meaningfully."
The High Commissioner's speech addressed human rights issues in some 50 countries.
Improve social protection
She welcomed the cessation of hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, announced in November by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Russian Federation, and called for investigations into all alleged violations that occurred during fighting there.
Moving to Asia and the Pacific, Bachelet encouraged governments to improve social protection systems as the pandemic has shown their value. On average, countries devote less than two percent of GDP to social protection, compared with the global average of 11 percent, she said.
The UN rights chief addressed the "serious concentration" in civic space across Southeast Asia, including what she described as "the alarming situation" in Myanmar, where the military seized power at the beginning of the month.
Turning to India, she said ongoing protests by thousands of farmers in India highlight the importance of having laws and policies based on consultations with concerned parties.
"Charges of sedition against journalists and activists for reporting or commenting on the protests, and attempts to curb freedom of expression on social media, are disturbing departures from essential human rights principles," she added.
Tackle remaining issues
In the Americas, Bachelet welcomed "broad new measures" to tackle structural inequalities and racism in the United States, which include action to redress racially discriminatory federal housing policies.
"We also welcome new steps to end several migration policies that violated the human rights of migrants and refugees, including executive orders to end the family separation policy. I encourage further measures to tackle remaining issues, such as the massive detention of migrants, through the implementation of alternatives to detention," she added.
A decade on from the "Arab Spring", many countries in the Middle East and North Africa continue to suffer very serious inequalities, as repressive policies have been strengthened in some cases.
"Despite these setbacks, I remain optimistic that justice and human rights can be realized across the Middle East and North Africa — and that progress in this direction will ensure deep and lasting progress for development and peace," Bachelet said.
Syria's ‘grim anniversary'
Next month will mark 10 years since the start of the Syrian crisis, which the High Commissioner called a "grim anniversary". She expressed hope that the Constitutional Committee will realize "tangible progress" and that the international community will work to bridge divides while also putting the needs of Syrians first.
Bachelet underscored that humanitarians and human rights workers must have immediate access to the Tigray region of Ethiopia, where government and regional forces have been clashing since November. She said credible investigations into allegations of violations such as mass killings, extrajudicial executions and other attacks on civilians are critical.
The human rights chief warned that the conflict in Tigray, coupled with rising insecurity in other parts of Ethiopia, could have serious impact on regional stability and human rights, underlining the need for a peaceful solution. — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.