Tuesday, January 23 2024 12:55

ArmInfo.Commissioner Mijatovic calls for determined and collective efforts to regain lost ground and advance human rights.

"The intensification of challenges to the protection of human rights  cannot be an excuse for giving up.  Rather, the moment calls for a  renewed commitment to the principles and standards for which our  Organisation stands", said today the Council of Europe Commissioner  for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic, presenting her annual report for  2023 before PACE. 

"To regain lost ground and advance the cause of human rights, we must  address the situation with determination and collective effort".  

This year's report, the last of Commissioner Mijatovic's mandate,  paints a worrying picture across Europe.  

The report highlights the human rights situation in conflict zones. 

Following her visit to Ukraine in March, the Commissioner focused on  the crucial issues of the human rights situation of children  transferred to Russia or Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, and  the human rights of Crimean Tatars in Russian- occupied Crimea. 

"While some reunifications have taken place, sustained international  support for Ukrainian and Russian civil society organisations and  individuals facilitating the reunification of Ukrainian children with  their families or legal guardians remains essential".

Following her visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the Karabakh  region, in October last year, the Commissioner calls on the  authorities to ensure focus on human rights protection in their peace  talks and establish strong human rights safeguards for all persons  affected by the conflict.  In addition, there is a growing disregard  for human rights standards, with hostile narratives threatening the  fundamental principles of the universality and indivisibility of  human rights. "This is most visible in the approach to migration  management, with deeply alarming levels of tolerance to serious human  rights violations against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants and  neglect of rule of law principles taking root across Europe", she  stresses.

The increasing intolerance faced by LGBTI people, the retrogressive  policies and rhetoric in several European countries undermining  progress in protecting the rights of women and girls and the  increasing polarisation within our societies are other trends  illustrating a hostile environment for human rights.  The report also  stresses the need to address the growing crises in the rights to  adequate housing, health services, quality education, and an adequate  standard of living, and the human rights impact of the triple  planetary crisis of environmental pollution, climate change and  biodiversity loss, and to protect human rights in the evolving  context of the use of artificial intelligence.

2023 was also marked by the urgency of reversing the growing  restrictions on civic space. "The disturbing decline in the safety  and freedom of human rights defenders and journalists already has  serious consequences for democracy and the protection of human rights  throughout Europe", she stresses.  Depicting an increasingly  intricate and demanding human rights landscape, the Commissioner  however underlines that there are many sources of hope and examples  of resilience, such as the Heads of State and Government pledging to  reaffirm their commitment to the norms and principles of the Council  of Europe at the Summit in Reykjavik; the collective response to the  war in Ukraine and the unwavering commitment of NGOs, journalists,  human rights defenders, national human rights institutions and  activists to stand up for human rights.

The fill report is available here:   https://rm.coe.int/annual-activity-report-2023-by-dunja-mijatovic-  commissioner-for-human-/1680ae3a07