VDPA+30 Reception

His Excellency Mr. Andreas Riecken,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish to thank Ambassador Riecken and the Embassy of Austria for the invitation to speak at this reception celebrating the 30th anniversary of the World Conference on Human Rights and the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. 

Since the founding of the United Nations in 1945, human rights have been one of the three core pillars of our work, as enshrined in the UN Charter. The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action is a key milestone in the advancement of the human rights agenda both within the UN System and globally. It emphasized that it is not possible to have one human right without the others, and that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated and strongly rejected the idea that some human rights could be considered optional.

In addition to rejecting the long-held idea that social, economic, and cultural rights have less value than civil and political rights, the Vienna Declaration paved the way for the creation of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, an institution that has become the leading global entity on human rights.

While we have collectively made massive gains in human rights in the last 30 years, the full realization of human rights for everyone, everywhere remains a work in progress. We must remain keenly aware that we cannot achieve the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) without also ensuring the universality of human rights. Many of the SDGs and their targets are directly linked to the human rights adopted by Member States in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being is directly related to the goal of ending poverty; the right to education is a core component of SDG 4; the right to equal pay for equal work is a core component of SDG 5 on gender equality; as just a few examples. 

We must also remember that the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs – to leave no one behind – means we must focus our efforts on reaching the poorest of the poor and the most marginalized and vulnerable groups, ensuring that these people and groups gain agency as holders of rights. We must redouble our efforts to reach these groups and support policies and programmes that allow them to equally benefit from development if we hope to achieve the ambitions of the SDGs.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year, we are not only celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, but also the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The convergence of these two anniversaries presents a unique opportunity to recall the spirit that led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which emerged from some of the world’s darkest hours and to recommit to the universality and indivisibility of rights. We have seen clearly how human rights are key to overcoming the challenges we face – as the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated how crucial the right to health care and social protection systems is. 

Let us celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by remembering the unifying force of human rights, and that only through this enhanced international cooperation can we hope to achieve the progress we need to ensure the promises of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs are met.

Thank you.