International Migrants Day (18 December) this year falls almost exactly 70 years after the Brussels conference that led to the establishment of the organization that, in 1989, was renamed the International Organization for Migration. A broad range of factors continue to determine the movement of people. They are either voluntary or forced movements as a result of the increased magnitude and frequency of disasters, economic challenges and extreme poverty or conflict. Approximately 281 million people were international migrants in 2020, representing 3.6 per cent of the global population. All these will significantly affect the characteristics and scale of migration in the future, and determine the strategies and policies countries must develop in order to harness the potential of migration while ensuring the fundamental human rights of migrants are protected.
International Migrants Day 2021 celebrates the potential of human mobility.During the pandemic, migrants have served as frontline workers. Migrants contribute to jobs and economic growth, boost tourism, and contribute to rich and diverse societies.
“We must renew our commitment to establishing and reinforcing legal, humane channels for migration that balance and protect both national sovereignty and the human rights of people on the move.,” IOM Director General calls for collective efforts and commitment to create policies that maximize the potential of migration.
Migrants contribute with their knowledge, networks, and skills to build stronger, more resilient communities. The global social and economic landscape can be shaped through impactful decisions to address the challenges and opportunities presented by global mobility and people on the move.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has assisted millions of migrants since it emerged 70 years ago to assist the vast number of Europeans displaced by the Second World War and continues to lead the way in promoting a humane and orderly management of migration for the benefit of all, including the communities of origin, transit and destination.
TAKE ACTION
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) invites you to get involved, take action and participate in different collective initiatives to make migration work for all. Everybody has an important role to play in making migration work for all, including migrants and the communities of origin, transit and destination. Migration affects and is affected by all areas of sustainable development. Migration governance will be a success factor for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Border closures have affected everyone. Thousands of miners from Mozambique lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 restrictions in South Africa. Learn how IOM supported them.
To celebrate the Day, UNESCO will organize a virtual panel discussion on 17 December, from 11 am to 1 pm (GMT+1).
Experts, academics, journalists and representatives of specialized institutions will gather to debate on: The historic role of Arabic in creating and transmitting knowledge. Arabic language as a tool to enhance dialogue and build peace.
This year’s theme “Arabic Language, a bridge between civilizations” is a call to reaffirm the important role of the Arabic language in connecting people through culture, science, literature and many more domains. It highlights the historic role of Arabic in creating and transmitting knowledge, and in enhancing dialogue and building peace. It also recognizes the changing world and the imperative to reinforce dialogue between nations and peoples. In increasingly globalized, digitalized and multilingual societies, this is particularly relevant.
This celebration is organized in collaboration with the Permanent Delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to UNESCO, in partnership with the Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation.
UN Languages Days aim to promote and celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, as well as the equality of all official languages used in the Organization and its agencies: Arabic (18 December), Chinese (12 November), English (23). April), French (20 March), Russian (6 June) and Spanish (12 October).
The celebration also resonates with the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013-2022), for which UNESCO is the lead UN Agency. Une interprétation simultanée en arabe, anglais et français sera assurée.
Follow the conversation on UNESCO social media channels via #ArabicLanguageDay In order to achieve those goals and make information on the United Nations and its activities available to the widest audience, the Department of Global Communications (DGC) has set the following minimum standards for UN Web multilingualism.
VIRTUAL CONCERT
On Saturday, 18 December 2021, the UN Chamber Music Society (UNCMS) will present a virtual concert in celebration of World Arabic Language Day, which will be launched on the global platforms of the United Nations.
One of the most widely spoken languages in the world, Arabic is a pillar of the cultural diversity of humanity. In celebration of World Arabic Language Day, and Arabic’s historic role in the development of art and science, the programme will feature a variety of popular and classical music from the Arab region. The music programme will open with ‘I Lift My Eyes’ composed by Christopher Tin, 2x Grammy Award Winning Composer – sung by Lebanese singer-songwriter Abeer Nehme. Throughout the concert, “Magic Carpets” artwork by Saks Afridi will be presented.
Opening remarks will be delivered by H.E. Mr. Mohammed Hussein Bahr Aluloom, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations, and Chair of the Arab Group for the month of December 2021. Founded in 2016, the UN Chamber Music Society is dedicated to promoting the United Nations' goals and values at large - through the universal language of music.
UHC is about ensuring all people and communities have access to quality health services where and when they need them, without suffering financial hardship.
Why should countries invest in Universal Health Coverage #UHC?
On this International Universal Health Coverage Day, we join advocates around the world in calling on leaders and the global health community to "leave no one's health behind: invest in health systems for all". Message for political leaders on UHC Day 2021
Support Universal Health Coverage: Supporting Universal Health Coverage means investing in curative, preventive, & promotive care. It is only with every sector working together, that we can achieve equitable, resilient UHC for all.
This 12 December; Health starts long before you get sick. This #UHCDay, it’s time we start investing in ALL stages of health.
Support Health for All!: Support #HealthforAll and join us to build a world where Universal Health Coverage is our reality.
Universal Health Coverage Day on 12 December is the annual rallying point for the growing movement for health for all. It marks the anniversary of the United Nations' historic and unanimous endorsement of universal health coverage in 2012.
Inequities undermine our efforts to protect, promote and improve health for all and, as a result, threaten social and economic development worldwide. As COVID-19 emphasized and exacerbated health inequities around the world, WHO continues to strengthen its call for greater political will and accelerated action from world leaders. We need to place health equity high on the global agenda as we support countries in working towards universal health coverage.
Universal Health Coverage Day is an opportunity to review progress and identify gaps in ensuring that everyone, everywhere, can access the health care they need, close to where they live and without falling into financial hardship. It is also a day to focus on what needs to happen next to achieve continuous, concrete progress towards a fairer and healthier world. WHO will release the latest data on universal health coverage, which underscore the impact of COVID-19 on health systems and services worldwide, and show how countries are working to tackle this.
Mediation and UN sanctions are two essential policy instruments used by the United Nations in its efforts to prevent and resolve conflict. Even though these two tools are almost always deployed in conjunction, the degree of their overlap in time and the sequencing of their application vary. Relatively little is known about when and whether these tools work well together or work poorly. Preliminary evidence suggests that in some recent cases their dual application improved, and in others, diminished the peace and security environment.
The focus of this year’s IMD, sustainable tourism in mountains, highlights how innovative and transformative approaches to mountain tourism contribute to economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Mountain destinations attract around 15-20 percent of global tourism.
Mountain tourism, particularly when linked to nature and rural tourism, can promote sustainable food systems and value local products.
Tourism can play a key role in valuing and protecting the natural and spiritual heritage of mountains, and the cultural diversity and traditional practices of mountain peoples.
Low-impact tourism can help limit threats to mountain ecosystems and their biodiversity.
Since COVID-19, visits to open air, less crowded, domestic destinations have increased, opening new opportunities for mountain destinations to rethink their products and services.
The United Nations General Assembly has designated 11 December, from 2003 onwards, as International Mountain Day. the day aims create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build partnerships that will bring positive change to the world’s mountains and highlands.
DOCUMENTARY: The voice of the Hindu Kush Himalaya A call to action from the pulse of the planet Premiering at COP26
On Human Rights Day this year, we’re calling for a new social contract with equality at its core. By addressing deep-seated discrimination with human rights, we can move towards a fairer and more inclusive world – because we’re all human, and we’re all equal.
What does equality Mean to You?; Join the conversation with the hashtags #StandUp4HumanRights.
On #HumanRightsDay, the UN Human Rights Chief says equality is the solution to global setbacks exacerbated by COVID-19: Equality means that we embrace our diversity and demand that we are all treated without any kind of discrimination.
“The past two years have demonstrated, all too painfully, the intolerable cost of soaring inequalities. Inequalities that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly 73 years ago on 10 December 1948, sought to eradicate in its effort to pave a path to a better world.
The decades since then saw some very significant progress – gradual, uneven progress, with frequent set-backs, but definite progress nonetheless. The world as a whole grew richer, and people lived longer. More children went to school, and more women were able to gain a greater measure of autonomy. More people in more countries had more opportunities to break the shackles of poverty, class, caste and gender.
However, over the past twenty years, since 2001, a succession of global shocks have undermined that progress. And the onset of this devastating pandemic in 2020 has laid bare many of our failures to consolidate the advances we had made.
Inequalities have fuelled the pandemic, and continue to do so. In turn, the pandemic has fed a frightening rise in inequalities, leading to disproportionate transmission and death rates in the most marginalized communities, as well as contributing to soaring poverty levels, increased hunger, and plummeting living standards. These in turn risk fuelling grievances, social unrest and even full-blown conflict.
Women, low-income and informal workers, younger and older people, and those with disabilities, as well as members of ethnic, racial and religious minorities and indigenous peoples are among those hit hardest, creating even greater age, gender and racial inequalities.
Inequalities have widened both within and between countries, with most developed economies forecast to grow in 2022, while the lowest-income countries are projected to endure continued recession, pushing their people even further behind.
This divergence has been aggravated by shockingly unequal vaccine coverage – by 1 December, barely 8% of adults had received one dose of vaccine in low-income families, compared to 65% in high-income countries – and by shortfalls in social protections, which in the developed world kept many people afloat during the worst months of the crisis. In Europe, for example, according to the IMF at least 54 million jobs were supported between March and October 2020, keeping people and companies from going under. Such assistance was less available in other regions.
The environmental crisis is further exacerbating discrimination, marginalization, and inequity. A total of 389 climate-related disasters were recorded in 2020 – resulting in the deaths of more than 15,000 people, affecting 98 million others, and inflicting $171 billion in economic damage. Climate-related migration is also on the rise. Actions to address these crises are not sufficient to avert these devastating human rights consequences, with affected communities often shut out of environmental decision-making processes where their input is essential.
A growing debt crisis is also weighing heavily on many countries. Globally, over half of least-developed and low-income countries are now in, or at high risk of, debt distress. In East and Southern Africa, debt-servicing costs grew, on average, from 60 percent of GDP in 2018 to nearly 70 percent of GDP in 2021. This is due in part to sharply shrinking economic activity and falling commodities prices. The need to repay loans has already led to fiscal austerity measures that will limit the fiscal space for key investments in rights and sustainable recovery.
Austerity budgets often target health, education, infrastructure investment, and poverty reduction efforts. They disproportionally impact people in vulnerable situations – increasing inequalities that were already stark. This is a critical period in world affairs. Humanity is reeling from the setbacks sparked by COVID-19, and struggling to make the radical changes necessary to prevent further environmental disaster.
Yet the measures needed to prevent catastrophic climate change are well-known. And, even in resource-poor environments, we have the knowledge and means to establish universal social protection measures and take the necessary actions to end discrimination, advance the rule of law and uphold human rights.
The Common Agenda set out by the UN Secretary-General in September 2021 calls for renewed solidarity between peoples and future generations; a new social contract anchored in human rights; better management of critical issues involving peace, development, health and our planet; and a revitalised multilateralism that can meet the challenges of our times.
This is an agenda of action – and an agenda of rights.
It means moving from the temporary pandemic measures to shore up health care and income protection to long-term investments in universal social protections – including universal health coverage – as well as decent housing, decent work, and access to quality education. It also means investment to bridge the digital divide. It means decisive action to uphold climate justice and the universal human right to a healthy environment. It means empowering people everywhere to speak up freely, and protecting civic space so that individuals can meaningfully participate in decisions that may have a dramatic impact on their lives. Equality is at the heart of human rights, and at the heart of the solutions required to carry us through this period of global crisis. That doesn’t mean we must all look the same, think the same or act the same. Quite the opposite. It means that we embrace our diversity and demand that we are all treated without any kind of discrimination.
Equality is about empathy and solidarity and about understanding that, as a common humanity, our only way forward is to work together for the common good. This was well understood during the years of rebuilding after World War II – the years that saw the development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the subsequent elaboration of the all-embracing system of international human rights law. However, our failure to build back better after the financial crisis a decade ago, coupled with the social and economic turmoil caused by COVID-19 and the rapidly accelerating impacts of climate change, suggests we have forgotten the clear and proven remedies rooted in human rights and the importance of tackling inequalities. Remedies we must bring back to the forefront if we want to maintain progress – not just for those who suffer from the gross inequalities that blight our planet, but for the sake of all of us.
On this Human Rights Day, I invite everyone to join efforts to enhance equality for everyone everywhere, so that we can recover better, fairer and greener from this crisis, and rebuild societies that are more resilient and sustainable.”
Michelle Bachelet; UN Human Rights Commissioner.
Ms. Bachelet and UN Secretary-General António Guterres took the opportunity to take stock of progress made, lessons learned, and put forward a new Agenda for Peace that presents a multidimensional vision of global security.
“This is an agenda of action – and an agenda of rights,” Ms Bachelet said.
‘Our Common Agenda’ a framework set out by the UN Secretary-General in September 2021 is a new social contract firmly anchored in human rights, calling for renewed solidarity across the world.
The Agenda proposes to deepen collective action by addressing the root causes of insecurity, increasing investment in resilience and early warning systems, developing multilateral partnerships, and more sustained efforts in peacebuilding and fighting the effects of climate change. Progress under threat
Ms Bachelet acknowledged that since the UDHR was first signed, “the world as a whole grew richer, and people lived longer. More children went to school, and more women were able to gain a greater measure of autonomy. More people in more countries had more opportunities to break the shackles of poverty, class, caste and gender.”
Despite this progress however, she noted that over the past twenty years, a succession of global shocks and the onset of the pandemic in 2020 undermined these developments.
‘New threats’ to human rights: Guterres
With the world “at a crossroads”, new threats have emerged to basic human rights, such as the pandemic, digital technology’s overreach, and the climate crisis, said UN chief Guterres, in his message for Human Rights Day marked on Friday.
“Public space is shrinking. Poverty and hunger are rising for the first time in decades. Millions of children are missing out on their right to education. Inequality is deepening - but we can choose a different path”, he assured.
Mr. Guterres noted that recovery from the pandemic “must be an opportunity to expand human rights and freedoms, and to rebuild trust.”
Trust needs to be restored in the justice and impartiality of laws and institutions everywhere, he added, and dignity restored, together with the faith that “people can get a fair hearing, and resolve their grievances peacefully.”
“The United Nations stands for the rights of every member of our human family”, he continued, pledging that “today and every day, we will continue to work for justice, equality, dignity and human rights for all.”
Equality, and the common good
Ms. Bachelet, ended her statement saying the equality was “at the heart of human rights”.
“Equality is about empathy and solidarity and about understanding that, as a common humanity, our only way forward is to work together for the common good.” She said that had been “well understood” in the period of global reconstruction after World War Two. “However, our failure to build back better after the financial crisis a decade ago, coupled with the social and economic turmoil caused by COVID-19 and the rapidly accelerating impacts of climate change, suggests we have forgotten the clear and proven remedies rooted in human rights and the importance of tackling inequalities”, she said.
If progress is to be maintained, that fundamental lesson needs to be learned once more, “not just for those who suffer from the gross inequalities that blight our planet, but for the sake of all of us.”
She invited everyone to join the new collective project of rebuilding, with equality as the driver, “so that we can recover better, fairer and greener from this crisis, and rebuild societies that are more resilient and sustainable.”
EVENTS
Tune in tomorrow to watch UN Human Rights Chief Michelle bachelet answer your questions in a LIVE Q&A on #HumanRightsDay.
📅 When: Friday 10 December at 15:30 CET | 09:30 am EST | 20:00 IST
Corruption and crime threaten the positive contribution of sport in the cultural, educational, social and economic spheres. Governments, sport organizations and athletes need to commit to tackling corruption and crime in and through sport to overcome the impact the COVID-19 crisis has had on sport and ensure it remains a force for development and peace.
The 2021 International Anti-Corruption Day seeks to highlight the rights and responsibilities of everyone – including States, Government officials, civil servants, law enforcement officers, media representatives, the private sector, civil society, academia, the public and youth – in tackling corruption.
