UN event marks 75 years of human rights declaration
The world must remain optimistic about human rights despite a situation that seems “bleak”, said Swiss President Alain Berset at the event on Tuesday.
Berset was speaking at the opening of a meeting at the United Nations in Geneva to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Even though progress has been made in combating impunity for serious violations, the situation is “regressing”, said Berset, in the presence of several heads of state. These rights “are still insufficiently implemented and too systematically violated in many countries”, he said.
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The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have shown the extent to which “hatred”, “stigmatisation” and “discrimination” affect several regions. In Gaza, the protection of civilians “is not guaranteed”, said Berset.
He called for “concrete commitments” and for the fight against the rise of authoritarian tendencies around the world. Human rights can never be taken for granted; their protection must be constantly reaffirmed, he said.
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