EU Ambassador's speech on Human Rights Day 2020

14.12.2020

 

Dear friends!

On 10 December, we internationally mark Human Rights Day, this year in the shadow of COVID-19 impacting the fundamental rights of especially the most vulnerable.

The challenges we continue to face in every corner of the world are a reminder that more needs to be done when it comes to the protection of fundamental human rights.

It is amid the coronavirus pandemic, that the European Union adopted its Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy just last month. The Action Plan confirms, that the European Union will never give up on its commitment to protect and support human rights, democracy and the rule of law worldwide. Especially not in times of crisis. The European Union takes now the lead globally.

An example of this the adoption of the EU human rights sanctions regime this week, which  will allow  apply travel bans and freezing and forbidding funds of  individuals and entities including state and non-state actors associated with serious human rights violations and abuses.

The European Union and Mongolia share a deep connection through our mutual commitment to resilient, inclusive and democratic societies. In our cooperation we continue to promote a global system where human rights and democracy are respected and enforced.

But there are more areas where work needs to be done. The European Union will continue to support initiatives that aim to:

  • Combat gender based violence and violence against children;
  • Protect and support Human rights defenders as watchdogs of democratic societies;
  • Equal opportunities to combat discriminatory laws, policies and practices on the basis of gender, sexual orientation and of any minorities;
  • Respond to signs of closing civic space and democratic backsliding;
  • Support the development of child-friendly justice systems for all children;
  • Enforce the link between global environmental challenges and human rights;
  • Consult civil society actors: the NGO forum took place just yesterday online, just like many other events this year. This allowed the participation of various NGOs from all corners of the world, including from Mongolia.

In the past year we all noticed how our lives, not only work but also personal contacts increasingly shifted to the virtual world, while we isolated ourselves for the sake of public health.

This shift is a reminder that the world is rapidly changing and that new challenges will continue to arise.

Amid these changes the duty of each and every government is to protect and empower civil society actors, to promote the right of everyone to have access to information, to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health and to curb inequalities by combating poverty and social exclusion.

We should not turn a blind eye to the challenges of today impacting the status of universal rights in the long term.

 

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the European Union to Mongolia

Traian Laurentiu Hristea

 


See also