OHCHR / HRC OPENING TURK
27-Feb-2023
00:06:00
Speaking at the opening of the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged States to “rekindle the spirit, the impulse and the vitality that led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago.” UNTV CH
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STORY: OHCHR / HRC OPENING TURK
TRT: 06:00
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE / OHCHR
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 27 FEBRUARY 2023 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
TRT: 06:00
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE / OHCHR
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 27 FEBRUARY 2023 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations
2. Med shot, Room 20
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Human rights is the common language of our shared humanity.”
4. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “It is about how we interact with each other – as individuals, within societies, between countries, as well as with our environment and the planet. At its heart is the recognition of human dignity, the need for power dynamics and relationships to be based on respect.”
6. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Human rights unifies us and can overcome polarization, in its striving for equity, shared prosperity and justice.”
8. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
9. SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Let me begin at the beginning.”
10. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We have also seen the growth of other innovative movements that draw on human rights principles. Among them, movements for the rights of indigenous peoples; Black Lives Matter; #MeToo; and Fridays for Future – to name a few. Young people consistently speak in the language of human rights when giving voice to their concerns. I pay tribute to all human rights defenders of the past and present.”
12. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Human rights is a force to reckon with, not because it serves the interests of the powerful, but because it has captured the imagination of the powerless”
14. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
15. SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The old authoritarianism, with its brutal limits on freedoms writ large, and the suffocating straitjacket of patriarchy. The old destructive wars of aggression from a bygone era with worldwide consequences, as we have witnessed again in Europe with the senseless Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
16. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
17. SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “If there was ever a moment to revitalise the hope of human rights for every person, it is now.”
18. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “With an eye to the past, as well as to the future; in the spirit of “never again”, and in the interest of inter-generational justice, it is critical that we rekindle the spirit, the impulse and the vitality that led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago.”
20. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Our institutions – which exist to advance all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, on an equal footing — as well as the right to development and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment — are in a unique position to rebuild this shared respect for each other's dignity,”
22. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
23. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Our goal must be to promote and implement a 21st century human rights vision that is transformative; solution-oriented; unifying; and that speaks directly to every person’s need for justice and search for meaning in life.”
24. Med shot participants HRC in Room 20
25. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Trust between States: that they will act in line with international law and the agreements which they themselves have crafted, and jointly work to advance the common good. Trust between people and their Governments, which have promised to represent and serve them”
26. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
27. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Trust between communities. Trust with future generations and the planet”
28. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
29. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We can rise above the fray, and use human rights, not as a weapon in the context of geopolitical strife — not as a nice-to-have for sunny days in the future — but as what it is and was always meant to be: a solution to help us get out of the harms that are destroying our world.”
30. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
31. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “I encourage you to ensure that serious violations and abuses are addressed, wherever they may occur, and not to fall into the trap of denial or obfuscation.”
32. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
33. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “I encourage you to address your people’s rights to freedom from want and to freedom from fear on an equal footing and with the same emphasis – so that all human rights can strengthen each other and support the renewal of the much-needed social contract between Governments and their peoples.”
34. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
35. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “I for my part am committed to principled and practical engagement with States, it is my responsibility to reflect back to you the reality that we see, in our careful and methodical monitoring, and to work with you to assist improvement. I am duty bound to speak out on trends that are detrimental to human rights.”
36. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
37. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We have more in common than we think. And if we hark back to our origins – and look forward to what the world could be in the future – we can see that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights not only voices ancient wisdoms from all cultures but will ensure our survival.”
2. Med shot, Room 20
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Human rights is the common language of our shared humanity.”
4. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “It is about how we interact with each other – as individuals, within societies, between countries, as well as with our environment and the planet. At its heart is the recognition of human dignity, the need for power dynamics and relationships to be based on respect.”
6. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Human rights unifies us and can overcome polarization, in its striving for equity, shared prosperity and justice.”
8. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
9. SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Let me begin at the beginning.”
10. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We have also seen the growth of other innovative movements that draw on human rights principles. Among them, movements for the rights of indigenous peoples; Black Lives Matter; #MeToo; and Fridays for Future – to name a few. Young people consistently speak in the language of human rights when giving voice to their concerns. I pay tribute to all human rights defenders of the past and present.”
12. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Human rights is a force to reckon with, not because it serves the interests of the powerful, but because it has captured the imagination of the powerless”
14. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
15. SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The old authoritarianism, with its brutal limits on freedoms writ large, and the suffocating straitjacket of patriarchy. The old destructive wars of aggression from a bygone era with worldwide consequences, as we have witnessed again in Europe with the senseless Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
16. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
17. SOUNDBITE (English)—Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “If there was ever a moment to revitalise the hope of human rights for every person, it is now.”
18. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “With an eye to the past, as well as to the future; in the spirit of “never again”, and in the interest of inter-generational justice, it is critical that we rekindle the spirit, the impulse and the vitality that led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago.”
20. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Our institutions – which exist to advance all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, on an equal footing — as well as the right to development and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment — are in a unique position to rebuild this shared respect for each other's dignity,”
22. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
23. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Our goal must be to promote and implement a 21st century human rights vision that is transformative; solution-oriented; unifying; and that speaks directly to every person’s need for justice and search for meaning in life.”
24. Med shot participants HRC in Room 20
25. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Trust between States: that they will act in line with international law and the agreements which they themselves have crafted, and jointly work to advance the common good. Trust between people and their Governments, which have promised to represent and serve them”
26. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
27. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Trust between communities. Trust with future generations and the planet”
28. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
29. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We can rise above the fray, and use human rights, not as a weapon in the context of geopolitical strife — not as a nice-to-have for sunny days in the future — but as what it is and was always meant to be: a solution to help us get out of the harms that are destroying our world.”
30. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
31. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “I encourage you to ensure that serious violations and abuses are addressed, wherever they may occur, and not to fall into the trap of denial or obfuscation.”
32. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
33. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “I encourage you to address your people’s rights to freedom from want and to freedom from fear on an equal footing and with the same emphasis – so that all human rights can strengthen each other and support the renewal of the much-needed social contract between Governments and their peoples.”
34. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
35. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “I for my part am committed to principled and practical engagement with States, it is my responsibility to reflect back to you the reality that we see, in our careful and methodical monitoring, and to work with you to assist improvement. I am duty bound to speak out on trends that are detrimental to human rights.”
36. Med shot, participants HRC in Room 20
37. SOUNDBITE (English) Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We have more in common than we think. And if we hark back to our origins – and look forward to what the world could be in the future – we can see that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights not only voices ancient wisdoms from all cultures but will ensure our survival.”
STORYLINE
Speaking at the opening of the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged States to “rekindle the spirit, the impulse and the vitality that led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago.”
“Human rights is the common language of our shared humanity,” he said.
“It is about how we interact with each other – as individuals, within societies, between countries, as well as with our environment and the planet. At its heart is the recognition of human dignity, the need for power dynamics and relationships to be based on respect,” Türk said.
Seventy-five years ago, in a world shaken by unprecedented horror, the modern human rights movement took its source from many currents, from many cultures and traditions in the never-ending story of the pursuit of freedoms, Türk noted.
At a time of existential threat States from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East conceived, together, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - a manual for the prevention of destitution, warfare and harm.
The decades since have seen advances, Türk noted, including the treaty-based system and the institutional architecture for the promotion and protection of human rights, such as the Human Rights Council and its ground-breaking Universal Periodic Review and Special Procedures.
“We have also seen the growth of other innovative movements that draw on human rights principles. Among them, movements for the rights of indigenous peoples; Black Lives Matter; #MeToo; and Fridays for Future – to name a few. Young people, in particular, consistently speak in the language of human rights when giving voice to their concerns. I pay tribute to all human rights defenders of the past and present,” the UN Human Rights Chief said.
“Human rights is a force to reckon with, not because it serves the interests of the powerful, but because it has captured the imagination of the powerless,” Türk noted. But he warned that oppression of the past can return in various disguises.
These include, he said,“the old authoritarianism, with its brutal limits on freedoms writ large, and the suffocating straitjacket of patriarchy. The old destructive wars of aggression from a bygone era with worldwide consequences, as we have witnessed again in Europe with the senseless Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
The High Commissioner also drew attention to artificial intelligence, that can blur fact and fiction – and the tumultuous online world where viral deceptions threaten our elections, our health, our security, and more.
Türk voiced hope that 2023 will be the moment in which we finally shift the balance from exploitation of digital technology for profit and oppression, to greater investment in digital innovation to tackle our biggest challenges – poverty, climate change, and inequality.
“If there was ever a moment to revitalise the hope of human rights for every person, it is now, “ he said.
However, Türk warned that much of the progress made over decades is being reined back and even reversed in some parts – most conspicuously for women and girls, the civic space and the freedoms enjoyed at times of peace and through sustainable development.
“With an eye to the past, as well as to the future; in the spirit of “never again”, and in the interest of inter-generational justice, it is critical that we rekindle the spirit, the impulse and the vitality that led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago,” he urged.
There is a need to forge a new world-wide consensus on human rights, broadening its base of support and moving forward together in recognition that our survival depends on finding our way back to that common language, he stressed.
“Our institutions – which exist to advance all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, on an equal footing — as well as the right to development and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment — are in a unique position to rebuild this shared respect for each other's dignity,” he said.
“Our goal must be to promote and implement a 21st Century human rights vision that is transformative; solution-oriented; unifying; and that speaks directly to every person’s need for justice and search for meaning in life,” Türk said.
It is against this backdrop, the High Commissioner said, that he and his Office have embarked this year on the Human Rights 75 initiative, first and foremost, to rebuild trust.
“Trust between States: that they will act in line with international law and the agreements which they themselves have crafted, and jointly work to advance the common good. Trust between people and their governments, which have promised to represent and serve them. Trust between communities. Trust with future generations and the planet, “he said.
“We can rise above the fray, and use human rights, not as a weapon in the context of geopolitical strife — not as a nice-to-have for sunny days in the future — but as what it is and was always meant to be: a solution to help us get out of the harms that are destroying our world,” Türk added.
The High Commissioner will provide a detailed global update on specific country and regional situations on 7 March, in addition to the various country-specific statements that form part of the agenda of this Council session.
“We have more in common than we think. And if we hark back to our origins – and look forward to what the world could be in the future – we can see that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights not only voices ancient wisdoms from all cultures but will ensure our survival,” he said.
“Human rights is the common language of our shared humanity,” he said.
“It is about how we interact with each other – as individuals, within societies, between countries, as well as with our environment and the planet. At its heart is the recognition of human dignity, the need for power dynamics and relationships to be based on respect,” Türk said.
Seventy-five years ago, in a world shaken by unprecedented horror, the modern human rights movement took its source from many currents, from many cultures and traditions in the never-ending story of the pursuit of freedoms, Türk noted.
At a time of existential threat States from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East conceived, together, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - a manual for the prevention of destitution, warfare and harm.
The decades since have seen advances, Türk noted, including the treaty-based system and the institutional architecture for the promotion and protection of human rights, such as the Human Rights Council and its ground-breaking Universal Periodic Review and Special Procedures.
“We have also seen the growth of other innovative movements that draw on human rights principles. Among them, movements for the rights of indigenous peoples; Black Lives Matter; #MeToo; and Fridays for Future – to name a few. Young people, in particular, consistently speak in the language of human rights when giving voice to their concerns. I pay tribute to all human rights defenders of the past and present,” the UN Human Rights Chief said.
“Human rights is a force to reckon with, not because it serves the interests of the powerful, but because it has captured the imagination of the powerless,” Türk noted. But he warned that oppression of the past can return in various disguises.
These include, he said,“the old authoritarianism, with its brutal limits on freedoms writ large, and the suffocating straitjacket of patriarchy. The old destructive wars of aggression from a bygone era with worldwide consequences, as we have witnessed again in Europe with the senseless Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
The High Commissioner also drew attention to artificial intelligence, that can blur fact and fiction – and the tumultuous online world where viral deceptions threaten our elections, our health, our security, and more.
Türk voiced hope that 2023 will be the moment in which we finally shift the balance from exploitation of digital technology for profit and oppression, to greater investment in digital innovation to tackle our biggest challenges – poverty, climate change, and inequality.
“If there was ever a moment to revitalise the hope of human rights for every person, it is now, “ he said.
However, Türk warned that much of the progress made over decades is being reined back and even reversed in some parts – most conspicuously for women and girls, the civic space and the freedoms enjoyed at times of peace and through sustainable development.
“With an eye to the past, as well as to the future; in the spirit of “never again”, and in the interest of inter-generational justice, it is critical that we rekindle the spirit, the impulse and the vitality that led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 75 years ago,” he urged.
There is a need to forge a new world-wide consensus on human rights, broadening its base of support and moving forward together in recognition that our survival depends on finding our way back to that common language, he stressed.
“Our institutions – which exist to advance all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, on an equal footing — as well as the right to development and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment — are in a unique position to rebuild this shared respect for each other's dignity,” he said.
“Our goal must be to promote and implement a 21st Century human rights vision that is transformative; solution-oriented; unifying; and that speaks directly to every person’s need for justice and search for meaning in life,” Türk said.
It is against this backdrop, the High Commissioner said, that he and his Office have embarked this year on the Human Rights 75 initiative, first and foremost, to rebuild trust.
“Trust between States: that they will act in line with international law and the agreements which they themselves have crafted, and jointly work to advance the common good. Trust between people and their governments, which have promised to represent and serve them. Trust between communities. Trust with future generations and the planet, “he said.
“We can rise above the fray, and use human rights, not as a weapon in the context of geopolitical strife — not as a nice-to-have for sunny days in the future — but as what it is and was always meant to be: a solution to help us get out of the harms that are destroying our world,” Türk added.
The High Commissioner will provide a detailed global update on specific country and regional situations on 7 March, in addition to the various country-specific statements that form part of the agenda of this Council session.
“We have more in common than we think. And if we hark back to our origins – and look forward to what the world could be in the future – we can see that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights not only voices ancient wisdoms from all cultures but will ensure our survival,” he said.
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