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- Isabelle Berro-Amadeï gives speech at High-Level Segment of 52nd UN Human Rights Council
Isabelle Berro-Amadeï gives speech at High-Level Segment of 52nd UN Human Rights Council
A pre-recorded speech by Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, was shown during the high-level segment of the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council on 2 March 2023.
On this occasion, in a year which marks 75 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, was first keen to reiterate the importance of the declaration and the need to defend the principles it promotes, which are still too often violated. The Minister went on to highlight some concerning examples to illustrate her point, including:
- The war in Ukraine, where some gross and massive violations of human rights are taking place. Isabelle Berro-Amadeï noted that, in this respect, the Principality last year supported the Council’s creation of an International Commission of Inquiry to establish the facts and those responsible;
- The deterioration in women’s rights around the world, particularly in Afghanistan, where the Taliban regime is now denying women access to universities;
- The brutal repression of protests in Iran since September. This issue was the subject of an extraordinary Council session in November 2022, resulting in the creation of a fact-finding mission, an initiative supported by the Principality;
- The environmental and climate crisis, which is heavily impacting the upholding of human rights around the world. Isabelle Berro-Amadeï welcomed the acknowledgement, by the Council in 2021 and by the UN General Assembly in 2022, of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment;
- The global socio-economic situation, which has significantly deteriorated as a result of the combined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of the current geopolitical context (energy crisis, inflation, etc.). This is having an adverse effect on the right to an adequate standard of living.
Finally, the Minister concluded by reiterating the need to act collectively, within a multilateral context, to respond to these challenges and live up to the ideals set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Human Rights Council, a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly, is the primary UN organisation with competence in the field of promoting and protecting human rights. It is headquartered in Geneva and is made up of 47 nations elected by the General Assembly for a three-year period. The 52nd session is being held in hybrid format from 27 February to 4 April 2023.