Human Rights Day two days ago marked the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document that proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being -- regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. It is the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages.
As the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said on the 60th Anniversary “I want to say something about one of the UN's founders – Winston Churchill” whose “primary motivation for supporting the codification of our rights as citizens was his desire that we should never again witness anything like the grotesque abuse of power by the Nazi state”.
“Churchill's vision was about a society that should be allowed to live free to achieve”.
I move amendment 2, noting
that the UK Government recognises that all rights set out in the UN Declaration of Human Rights are of equal importance.
AND welcoming the action taken by the UK Government in prioritising tackling modern day slavery, defending freedom of religion or belief, ending inequality and discrimination, and promoting democracy.
In September 2017 the Prime Minister convened world leaders at the UN General Assembly to launch a call to action to end modern slavery, one of the great Human rights challenges of our time.
The UK Government has doubled aid spending on the issue to address the root causes; strengthen law-enforcement capacity in transit countries; and support the victims.
A year on from the Prime Minister’s Call to Action, positive endorsements have been received from over 80 countries.
At October’s North Wales Modern Slavery Forum organised by Haven for Light, and attended by Wales’ Anti-Slavery Co-ordinator, we heard that modern slavery was alive in business, agriculture, hospitality, criminal activity and sexual exploitation.
The UK’s former Anti-Slavery Commissioner – Kevin Hyland OBE, now advises international bodies including the UN on human trafficking and modern slavery.
Freedom of religion or belief matters –
- because faith guides the daily life of more than 80% of the world’s population.
- and because promoting tolerance and respect for all helps to build inclusive societies that are more stable, more prosperous, and better able to resist extremism.
The freedom of individuals and organisations to discuss, debate and criticise, or to hold governments to account, is an essential element of a successful society.
All people should be able to live with dignity, free from all forms of violence or discrimination, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office appointed its first Special Envy on Gender Equality last year, who works to promote Gender Equality at an international level – including action to target sexual violence in conflict and unequal access to education.
Last month, the UK hosted a historic conference for female parliamentarians from around the world.
The UK Government works with likeminded partners at home and abroad to promote democracy as the best long term guarantor of stability and prosperity – and hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in April to further promote the shared values of human rights, democracy and inclusion that are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter.
Disabled people around the world suffer discrimination.
We must protect their rights and transform their lives – and in July the UK Government co-hosted its first ever Global Disability Summit to encourage international action.
As the Prime Minister stated last week “(In response to the report by the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on his visit to the UK).
“What we actually see in our country today is absolute poverty at record lows, more people in work than ever before, youth unemployment almost halved and wages growing”.
Leaving the EU does not affect our rights under the European Convention on Human Rights - or ECHR, as this comes from the Council of Europe, not the EU.
The UK Government has clearly stated that the UK is committed to membership of the ECHR – and that withdrawing from it would run counter to its vision of a “Global Britain”.
The ECHR is both British and Conservative in origin – it was advocated by Winston Churchill and was drafted by former Conservative Home Secretary, David Maxwell-Fyfe.
In the seventieth year since its adoption, the UN Declaration on Human Rights remains a powerful statement of hope and aspiration for us all.
There has been great progress since 1948, but there is still much more to do.