In the launch event, taking place in the sidelines of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly Ministerial week New York, the High Representative/Vice-President, Ministers of Foreign Affairs or Representatives of Argentina, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Chile, Georgia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Republic of Korea, The Gambia, Tunisia and Uruguay jointly declared:

“The United Nations international human rights framework is indispensable to tackle the challenges we are faced with today, including the realisation of sustainable development, peace and security, gender equality, and social resilience and inclusion.

“Today, we come together to reiterate our respect for all human rights — civil, political, economic, social and cultural — as a fundamental value and a central principle of our domestic and international actions.

“It is with a shared belief in human rights and a collective sense of responsibility that we pledge to continue improving our own human rights record and to support those who, like us, wish to build and promote ever-more resilient democracies and peaceful and inclusive societies, through identifying and sharing concrete “good human rights stories” and practices.

“Those stories will encourage sustained efforts to improve policies and practices regarding human rights and foster national and cross-regional engagement in the service of the universality, indivisibility and inalienability of human rights.

“We recommit to promoting fundamental government priorities, such as sustainable development, security, social justice, reduced inequalities and resilience, gender equality, non-discrimination and inclusiveness, in our countries and globally, based on the respect for universal human rights and human dignity, good governance and the rule of law, and open and free consultations with all our citizens, also pursuant to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“We strive for continuous human rights progress and renew our pledge to support and cooperate with the UN human rights system, aspiring to work closely with UN Special Procedures; commit to building and safeguarding strong and independent national human rights-related oversight institutions; and affirm our belief in the benefits of regular and open consultations with an independent and vibrant civil society, both nationally and in regional and multilateral fora.

“We fully support the UN Secretary General’s pledge marking the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the commitment to “stand up” for everyone’s rights.”