The most serious human rights violations today occur in the shadow of many conflicts around the world, endangering communities and highlighting the urgent need to return to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and collective action and empathy.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 75 years after its adoption, remains a solid foundation for joint efforts to protect the basic freedoms and dignity of all people.
This was announced at the "Conversations on Human Rights", an event organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Montenegro in commemoration of two significant milestones: 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights human rights (UDHR) and 30 years of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action. The talks were organized with the support of the embassies of the Czech Republic and Austria in Montenegro.
At the event, the UNDP announced, the continuing importance and important role of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in solving contemporary local and global challenges was highlighted.
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Minister of Human and Minority Rights, Fatmir Đeka, said that this document remains the key foundation for the protection of the basic freedoms and dignity of all people. He congratulated the International Human Rights Day, which is celebrated on December 10 and represents one of the most important dates in modern history.
According to him, Montenegro is dedicated to the promotion and realization of human rights, following the principle that every person has the right to the freedoms established by the Universal Declaration, regardless of race, skin color, gender, language, religion, political or any other opinion, national or social origin, wealth, birth or other status.
"In May of this year, we presented the National Report on the State of Human Rights in Geneva during the fourth general periodic review of the UPR. This is the fourth report that Montenegro has submitted since 2008," Đeka said.
He added that human rights talks are now taking place on the occasion of two important anniversaries: the 75th anniversary of the UDHR and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action.
"This global human rights initiative aims to promote the universality of human rights and strengthen the human rights system of the United Nations. We are here as an important department to help advance human rights, regardless of the challenges we face," said Gjeka. Gora continues to strengthen its legislative and strategic framework for the protection, promotion and advancement of human rights. Accordingly, new laws and strategies have been adopted, which are the result of broad consultations, and are continuously implemented with accompanying action plans, with a special focus on the position of the most vulnerable group", said Đeka.
Annette Lanting, UN Human Rights Adviser, pointed out that the terrifying challenges that many people around the world face are not signs that human rights have "let down". She noted that this happens when human rights are not respected, implemented and not set as a priority, and precisely in such times there is an urgent need to rededicate ourselves to the universality and indivisibility of the standards and principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She expressed her gratitude for the promises on human rights that the Government will make next week in Geneva, as well as for the promises that young people from Montenegro, as well as journalists and editors from Montenegro, together with their colleagues from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, have already made - that they will fight against discrimination and hate speech, among other things. Lanting called on everyone to use the UDHR as a starting and ending point for dialogue on how to tackle today's global, regional and national human rights challenges.
Ekaterina Paniklova, permanent representative of UNDP in Montenegro, pointed out that today we are witnessing the largest number of conflicts since 1945, in the shadow of which some of the most serious violations of human rights are taking place, with a special focus on gender-based violence against women and girls.
"This is not just a statistic, but a devastating reality that affects lives and communities. At the same time, the poorest and most marginalized among us face the most severe impacts of the rapidly intensifying climate crisis. All these challenges are deeply interconnected and highlight the urgent need for collective action and empathy. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the UDHR, and at first glance there seems to be little cause for celebration. Yet the UDHR remains the most effective tool for preventing conflict around the world, and at the same time provides a solid basis for launching ambitious efforts to combat climate change , the biggest human rights challenge it has ever faced. UNDP will continue its mission in Montenegro and remain unequivocally committed to promoting the human rights of all citizens, without exception," said Paniklova.
In the first panel on the topic "The role of the UN human rights system in improving human rights standards and sustainable development", Anjet Lanting pointed out that the UN human rights system provides permanent monitoring through dialogues in Geneva, but also at the country level, which it involves everyone - the Government, national human rights institutions, civil society, the UN and the international community - for human rights issues. She offered support to Montenegro to establish a national reporting and monitoring mechanism to ensure stronger implementation of human rights standards and principles.
Sara Ratrej, senior advisor for human rights from UNDP, spoke about the connection between human rights and the advancement of sustainable development goals.
It was pointed out that human rights and the sustainable development goals of the UN are closely related and inseparable processes. Achieving the goals of sustainable development, such as the elimination of poverty, decent work, education and gender equality, go hand in hand with respect for basic human rights, such as the right to life, freedom of expression and access to basic needs. Therefore, the integration of human rights in the planning and implementation of development initiatives and policies is essential for the creation of a sustainable society that promotes equality, justice and a dignified life for all citizens.
On the second panel on the topic "Impact of the UN system for human rights - examples of countries", the experiences of their countries were presented by Karl Miller, Ambassador of Austria to Montenegro, Janina Hrebičkova, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Montenegro, Klara Laurenčikova, representative of the Czech Government for Human Rights of rights, Jakub Mačaka from the Department for Human Rights of the Czech Government and Ištvan Lakatoš, former ambassador for human rights of Hungary and senior advisor for human rights in the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights.
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