Your Excellency the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif;

Honorable Federal Minister for Human Rights, Azam Nazeer Tarar;

Colleagues, partners, and friends representing the entire ecosystem of human rights in Pakistan: federal and provincial governments, human rights commissions and institutions, civil society and academia, the private sector, and UN, diplomatic and development partners, Al-Salam Aleykom Wa Rahmat Allah Wa Barakatuh.

Let me begin by thanking His Excellency the Prime Minister for hosting today’s ceremony. 

Appreciation is also due to the Ministry of Human Rights and the human rights stakeholders in Pakistan – most of whom are here today – for embracing what is often considered a difficult but consequential subject for human dignity and human development. 

Pakistan was a pioneer and important contributor to shaping the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Its delegation to the General Assembly included Begum Shaista Ikramullah, who strongly supported the Declaration’s approach to freedom of choice and equality, especially on several of the Declaration’s 30 Articles that would inform laws around early marriage and child marriage. At that time, Begum Shaista is quoted as saying, “It is imperative that the people of the world should recognize the existence of a code of civilized behavior which would apply not only in international relations, but also in domestic affairs."

If we take this cue from 1948, then steadfast engagement, advocacy, and activism on human rights must always be categorized in our minds and in our practice as unfinished business, an evolving and continuing agenda. To put it simply: it will never be enough. 

Since the drafting of the Universal Declaration in 1948, Pakistan has signed an additional seven out of nine core human rights treaties and has demonstrated its political commitment to localizing this international human rights framework, just as Pakistan localized the Sustainable Development Goals since 2015.

But Pakistan, like much the world this year, and as echoed in the UN Summit of the Future last September, has not been immune to the uncertainties that emanate from recurring and more intense climate change shocks, from insecurity, from political polarization, and from socioeconomic ups and downs. The impact of these challenges – all urgent, all happening at the same time - is often felt by the most vulnerable communities, those left farthest behind without an adequate social protection cushion, and with their coping ability at a breaking point.

As development partners, accompanying the people of Pakistan on their development pathway, there is no option but to collectively address these challenges head-on, in the same spirit of dialogue and transparency we heard today, while empowering the national human rights ecosystem to lead and innovate. The video just shown is a testament to this collaboration, as is Pakistan’s recognition of the fundamental right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. 

Let me conclude by reaffirming UNDP’s commitment to continue our collaboration toward a just and inclusive society. In addition to existing programming, we’re proud to have just launched yesterday a second phase of the Huqooq-e-Pakistan project supported by the European Union, working with the Ministry and all human rights stakeholders in Pakistan, on business and human rights, on inclusion and interfaith harmony, on stigma and discrimination, on education, and on institutional capacity support.

As we walked in the door of this auditorium today, we will have passed by a quote from Pakistan’s Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, that read: “If we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor.” There is no better way to achieve this vision than by pursuing a rights-based approach to development and economic growth, and to building an inclusive, just, and peaceful Pakistan.

Our rights, our future, right now!

Happy Human Rights Day. Thank you!