Belize's UN Resident Coordinator's Message for Human Rights Day 2020

Hello dear friends, the 10th of December is observed as Human Rights Day every year to commemorate the day on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed the inherent rights of every human being. Human rights are not dependent on race, color, religion, language, or sex.  Our human rights are universal and inalienable, interdependent, indivisible, and inter-related.

The exercise of our human rights is essential so that we can live with basic dignity. Human rights give all of us as humans the reassurance of choice, about our life including what kind of life we want to live. Thanks to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the commitments of the state to its principles, the foundation for a more just world has been laid. This Declaration empowers and motivates us all to be better and to do better for all people. Therefore, the principles are as relevant today as they were when they were written in 1948.

As we are all experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, our human rights, including the right to health, right to education, right to work, right to an adequate standard of living all remain unshakeable. We look to the state as the duty bearer to facilitate access to justice, and to promote equality and non-discrimination in its response to this health crisis.

 I take this time to call upon you to reacquaint yourself with your human rights or to learn them anew.  Share them with others and stand up for the rights of those whose rights are undermined or who could be left behind in the pandemic recovery processes.  In this time, it is ever more important that we these processes aim to respect and honor our human rights as a sure path to overcoming the impact of the pandemic.  

Stay safe and stay well, and I wish you all a happy Human Rights Day.