Director-General/Executive Director
Your Excellency President Novak,
President of the Republic of Hungary,
Distinguished Ambassadors,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour to be here today at the Ludovika University of Public Service, to mark 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
As Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, I am delighted to be here to represent the UN, as we commemorate such a significant landmark.
I want to thank you, Madam President, and to thank Hungary through you, for inviting the United Nations to observe this special occasion with you, at a time when human rights and the UN have never been more critical.
I also want to thank the UN Association of Hungary. The association is the second-oldest non-governmental organization in the country, which speaks to the historical bond between Hungary and the United Nations.
Excellencies,
The global order that arose from the ashes of the Second World War was rooted in the conviction that some truths about humanity are timeless.
Those truths remain timeless, even as the global order shifts.
At the heart of the UN Charter is the premise that prosperity for humanity depends on respect for the rights and dignity of every person, across divides of border and culture.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a natural extension of the Charter.
It affirmed the universal and indivisible nature of economic, cultural, social, civil, and political rights.
Today, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages - including Hungarian of course.
Over 75 years, it has served as a central reference point for progressive national laws as well as key bodies of international law.
It represented a watershed moment in the struggle to end colonialism as well as the slave trade.
And it laid foundational principles for great progress in education, poverty reduction, gender equality, child mortality, and so much more.
We must recognize and celebrate these achievements.
But we must also recognize that today we are living a profoundly difficult moment for human rights.
The indivisible rights of every person are at the very heart of Agenda 2030 and every one of its Sustainable Development Goals, which today are in real peril.
Those rights are also the main driver of our pursuit of peace and security.
This triangle of human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security is deeply and inherently linked, and at this moment, the world is stalling on all three counts.
Distinguished guests,
There is no hierarchy of human rights, but all rights necessarily depend on the right to life.
That right, and so many of the ones that follow, are becoming a distant fantasy for people who are at the epicentre of raging conflicts.
I would be remiss not to mention the calamity unfolding in the Middle East.
People are being deprived of their most basic rights.
Both the Secretary-General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have sounded the alarm bells on the dire need to respect international law, protect civilians, and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those who so desperately need it.
Reported human rights violations are also rife in Ukraine, in Sudan, and in many other theatres of conflict, with 2 billion people today living in places affected by conflict.
In the cracks opened by such instability, we are seeing the loss of hard-earned human rights gains in different corners of the globe.
We are also seeing vulnerability grow profoundly. Our world has broken a tragic record this year when the number of displaced people surpassed 110 million.
And in this global chaos, organized crime is exploiting vacuums and exploiting people.
In addition to being the Director-General of UNOV, I also have the honour of being the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and in our work, we often see the chilling consequences of criminal activity on human rights.
A particularly abhorrent example is human trafficking, a crime that denies the basic humanity and dignity of people and treats them as commodities.
Over sixty per cent of the victims are women and girls, most of them for sexual exploitation.
Women and girls are also suffering alarming levels of gender-based killings, known as ‘femicide’.
The UNODC-UN Women femicide brief being launched tomorrow shows that in 2022, almost 89,000 women were intentionally killed, the highest number recorded in the past 20 years.
It reminds us that when human rights are thrown by the wayside, those who have less are too often the ones who suffer most.
Women, children, vulnerable migrants and displaced people, the world’s poor and marginalized.
They suffer the most devastating impact of climate change on rights and safety, for example.
And they suffer the brunt of the hate and bigotry that is quickly reaching fever-pitch around the world.
Madam President,
Excellencies,
In this whirlwind of crises, it is easy for some to question how relevant or realistic the Universal Declaration of Human Rights truly is.
But the state of the world today is precisely why it is more relevant now, not less.
As the UN Secretary-General highlighted when addressing the Human Rights Council earlier this year: “Human rights are not a luxury that can be left until we find a solution to the world’s other problems.”
We do not live in an ideal world; far from it. But that does not mean we should live in a world without hope.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights represents the golden standard that we must, I repeat we must, live up to, today and now.
But it also embodies the hope that one day things will be as they should be, everywhere and for everyone.
Keeping that hope alive is in the hands of every one of us.
The Universal Declaration is not a treaty or a convention that pertains only to States and their obligations.
It is directly applicable to everyone and by everyone.
The fight for human rights is about voices who speak up for the equal rights of everyone, everywhere, when it is easy and when it is difficult.
Some of the most powerful voices for human rights are the voices of women.
The committee that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, who masterfully led it to success.
That same committee was blessed with other inspiring women delegates, including from the Global South.
Hansa Mehta of India insisted that it is “all human beings” - and not “all men” - that are born equal.
Minerva Bernardino of the Dominican Republic championed that point of view throughout the document.
Begum Ikramullah of Pakistan argued successfully for language that recognizes equal rights in marriage.
The tradition of women defining and defending the values of human rights has persisted for 75 years and persists to this day.
And I am very happy to note that two women leaders will be having an important conversation on human rights today.
President Novak, who is the first woman President of Hungary.
In achieving this historic and significant milestone, she demonstrated that qualification, determination, and competence are irreplaceable when you set out to shatter the glass ceiling.
And Ms. Nadia Murad, who is living proof that preserving our humanity in the darkest of nights is what allows us to work for a better future when the dawn breaks.
I am proud to note that Ms. Murad is a goodwill ambassador for UNODC and is doing excellent work with us to advocate for victims of human trafficking.
Another crucial voice for human rights is the voice of young people.
There are almost 2 billion young people around the world today, and they are not burdened with the biases or cynicism of previous generations.
We must listen to them and equip them well to fight for their rights and the rights of everyone.
Empowering young voices for human rights starts with education, and it is very fitting that we are convening today in a place of learning, at the campus of the Ludovika University.
This university focuses on producing effective public servants, and as Executive Director of UNODC, it caught my attention that Ludovika University boasts a faculty of law enforcement.
Many of those who study here will go on to shoulder big responsibilities in upholding human rights and the rule of law.
Another crucial ally in the fight for human rights is civil society.
They bring unique and independent perspectives, and they so often lead the charge when it comes to human rights.
Standing up for human rights means speaking up together.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The United Nations remains the world’s best hope to bring all voices together and pursue shared solutions based on shared beliefs, with human rights at their core.
The Secretary-General’s Call to Action for Human Rights, launched three years ago, sets out seven areas for urgent attention that remain just as relevant today: rights at the core of sustainable development; rights in times of crisis; gender equality; civic space; future generations; collective action; and new frontiers.
The UN is changing the way we work, recognizing that human rights are central to everything we do.
This is reflected in the SG’s report on Our Common Agenda, which proposes a new social contract anchored in human rights, and puts people squarely at the centre of efforts to advance peace and the rule of law.
Ultimately, it is up to the Member States of the United Nations to decide that human rights are not negotiable.
The world is entering a phase of geopolitical competition we have not seen in decades. This is not reason to forsake human rights, but to reinforce them through multilateralism.
Preserving the recognition of our shared humanity means preserving the surest common ground we have.
The Summit of the Future, to be held next year, will be an opportunity to reinvigorate multilateralism with people at the centre, and to re-affirm the world’s commitment to the truths set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Earlier today I had the great pleasure of admiring the beauty of this city, from the majesty of Buda Castle Quarter to the elegance of Andrassy Avenue.
Today, Budapest is a very different place compared to the early days of these marvels of human creation.
But they still stand today, as magnificent as ever.
The people of this city have decided that even as they move on, it is worth preserving the timeless heart and soul of their heritage.
Today, the whole world is changing before our eyes.
But the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a timeless part of our human heritage that cannot be left behind.
I urge every person here, every person who holds power, influence or a voice, to speak up for the Declaration and its values, for human rights and for peace.
As Martin Luther King once proclaimed, we die when we refuse to stand up for that which is right, for justice, for that which is true.
Thank you.
