UN Chief Issues ‘7 Point call on Action’ on Human Rights

The United Nations is an organisation that tries to resolve different conflicts that arise between different nations. Human rights are a burning issue that has long been a source of concern for the United Nations, and recently, the UN Secretary-General expressed his concern about the issue while also presenting a seven-point plan. This plan addresses all the current issues such as climate change and human rights violations that threaten global peace in one manner or the other. 

7 Point Call on Human Rights Issue

Recently, the United Nations chief secretary-general appealed to the apex body of the recently held human rights session in Geneva, Switzerland. This body is often considered the high-level authority of the Human Rights Council because it includes many eminent names in the committee, such as Libya’s prime minister and foreign affairs ministers from different countries, such as Germany, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea. This is a four-week-long session that majorly focuses on political conflicts, repression of rights, and the issue of human rights. The United Nations head, Antonio Guterres, has been focusing on taking some effective action on the issue of human rights. According to him, human rights have been severely violated and repressed all over the globe currently and it is high time that effective action is taken. This seven-point list addresses several issues such as: sustainable development goals, gender inequality, freedom of expression, crisis prevention, advancement of technology and so on. 

According to the UN head, development is more than just economic growth; it is also the number of positive changes in people’s lives. He emphasised that economic development is not the only determinant of development, and that social and cultural rights should be given equal weight. According to the United Nation’s head, the most concerning threats to human rights are racial discrimination, white supremacy, and violence against women and children. The United Nations’ head has expressed grief over the fact that modern technology has been used to kill people. According to him, “these killing machines” are abusing human rights in the most pervasive manner and human ethics or judgement should be emphasised over the lethal capacity of the machines. The United Nations head has repeatedly stated that the United Nation is with peace-loving people all over the world and unconditionally supports them. According to the United Nations head, it is the duty of the organisation to support all the people who are facing severe poverty, whose human rights and civil liberties have been abused by ongoing wars, or those people who simply dream of a better future, and the United Nations should uphold people’s rights and liberties. 

He has repeatedly pointed out that protecting human rights of all kinds, be they social, cultural, economic, civil or political, is the main goal. His message is also directed at various state-sponsored violence, such as Myanmar’s genocide against the Rohingyas or the Chinese government’s severe human rights abuses of the Uyghurs, bombing in Syria and other war-torn parts of the Middle East, or the forced separation of children from immigrant parents at the US border. This step has been welcomed by the executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth. The United Nations head has repeatedly pointed out that human rights are under threat and it is high time that the United Nations deals with the human rights abusers. The United Nation’s seven-point “call to action” on human rights urges states, governments, and different business organisations to renew and revive their policies to protect and preserve human rights. The United Nations has also shown from time to time how armed conflicts displace people, especially children, and how indigenous communities are more vulnerable to wars and armed conflicts. As these communities’ lives are closely related to land, forced displacement is a great blow to their social, cultural, and economic lives. 

Conclusion 

Human rights are one of the key foundations of the United Nations charter, and the United Nations tries to protect human rights and civil liberties through its different organisations all over the world. But at present, human rights have been violated and abused continually, and the United Nations thinks that it is high time for them to intervene in this matter. These topics are very important for UPSC exam aspirants as different questions are asked from the current affairs section.