Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10 and this has been so for years but human rights are still an ideal rather than a reality for most people in many parts of the world.

Human Rights Day commemorates the day in 1948 when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ratified by the UN General Assembly. Although not legally binding, the Declaration of Human Rights, with its comprehensive list of political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights, paved the way for the creation of more than 60 human rights instruments, which together set the global standard for human rights. On this day, the world is reminded of the fundamental freedoms and rights to which every human being is entitled, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, religion, race, colour or any other distinction. On this day, the international community gets a chance to reflect on how far we have succeeded in our efforts to promote and protect human rights and ensure “Freedom, Equality and Justice for All” which is the theme of Human Rights Day this year. In the decades since the ratification of the UDHR, human rights have become more widely recognised and protected around the world. The declaration has served as the cornerstone for a system of human rights protection that is growing and reaching out to more vulnerable populations everywhere.

The day comes every year as a timely reminder of the fundamental rights and freedoms that belong to every individual and underscores the collective responsibility to uphold and protect these rights. It is a call to action, urging nations, organisations and individuals to promote equality, justice and dignity for all, and to foster a world in which human rights are universally respected and practised.

But the real world today is not an epitome of human rights. Amnesty International in its latest report paints a gloomy picture of human rights around the world. The reports give details of new and protracted conflicts that have caused untold misery to suffering humanity. Some of these conflicts, Palestine and Kashmir, amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. To quote the AI report, “Across the world, authorities continued their heavy-handed repression of universal freedoms. Economic crises led to rocketing price rises for food and fuel and increased pressure on health and other social services. The most marginalized were hit the hardest, and inequality rose. Women, girls and LGBTI people faced gender-based violence and discrimination.” The Amnesty International report analysed the human rights situation in 156 countries and called for emergent remedial action.

In response to growing threats to the right to protest, Amnesty International in 2022 launched a global campaign to confront states’ intensifying efforts to erode the fundamental right to freedom of peaceful assembly. As part of this campaign the organization called for the adoption of a Torture-Free Trade Treaty banning the production and trade in inherently abusive law enforcement equipment and controlling the trade in law enforcement equipment often used for torture or other ill-treatment.

The year 2023 has seen unspeakable atrocities committed against defenseless Palestinian women and children by occupying Israeli forces. For Palestinians in Gaza, 2023 has proved to be one of the deadliest years since the UN began recording casualties in 2006, with at least 18,000 people, including hundreds of children, killed by Israeli forces. Israeli authorities continued to force Palestinians from their homes, as the government made plans to drastically expand illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank. Instead of demanding an end to Israel’s system of apartheid, many Western governments chose to attack those denouncing it. The US has several times vetoed resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza.

In his message on Human Rights Day, PM Kakar said that Israel’s targeting of Palestinians in Gaza violated all standards of human rights and was a breach of international law. He urged the world community to redouble efforts for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and asked Israel to end its brutal occupation of Palestine and grant the Palestinian people their inalienable right to decide their own future.

The worsening human rights situation in Kashmir and Palestine fully exposes the hypocrisy and double standards of Western nations who talk loudly of human rights but condone the abuses committed by their proteges around the world. A glaring example is Israel’s system of apartheid against Palestinians and its policy of systematic ethnic cleansing.

In its latest report, Amnesty International has said that the world is besieged by an onslaught of colliding crises, but global action against threats to humanity is woefully inadequate. It has pointed out that international institutions and systems that are meant to protect our rights should be strengthened rather than undermined. The first step in this direction is for UN human rights mechanisms to be more fully funded, so that accountability and investigations can be pursued, and justice delivered. Amnesty International has also called for the UN’s key decision-making body, the Security Council, to be reformed to give a voice to countries and communities which have been traditionally ignored, especially in the global south.

No doubt, the international system is in need of urgent reform to reflect the realities of today. The international community cannot allow the permanent members of the UN Security Council to continue wielding their veto power arbitrarily and abusing their privileges unchecked. The lack of transparency and efficiency in the Council’s decision-making process leaves the entire system wide open to manipulation and abuse.