UNIS/SGSM/1465
9 December 2024
On Human Rights Day, we face a harsh truth.
Human rights are under assault.
Tens of millions of people are mired in poverty, hunger, poor health and education systems that have not yet fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Global inequalities are running rampant.
Conflicts are intensifying.
International law is wilfully ignored.
Authoritarianism is on the march while civic space is shrinking.
Hateful rhetoric is fuelling discrimination, division, and outright violence.
And women’s rights continue to be rolled back in law and practice.
This year’s theme reminds us that human rights are about building the future — right now.
All human rights are indivisible.
Whether economic, social, civic, cultural or political, when one right is undermined, all rights are undermined.
We must stand up for all rights — always.
Healing divisions and building peace.
Tackling the scourges of poverty and hunger.
Ensuring health care and education for all.
Advancing justice and equality for women, girls and minorities.
Standing up for democracy, press freedoms and workers’ rights.
Promoting the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
And defending human rights defenders as they carry out their vital work.
The recently adopted Pact for the Future reinforced the world’s commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
On this important day, let’s protect, defend and uphold all human rights for all people.
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Barbados signed and deposited its instrument of ratification for the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 8 May 2025.
Journalists are invited to cover the 34th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) to be held from 19 to 23 May in Vienna, Austria.
"On this Day of Vesak, I extend my warmest wishes to Buddhists worldwide as they commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha." — António Guterres
"In a world plagued by conflict and division, World Press Freedom Day highlights a fundamental truth: Freedom for people depends on freedom of the press." — António Guterres
