Madam Chair,
I am delivering this statement on behalf of Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States and my own country Canada.
December 10th, Human Rights Day, commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The UDHR laid the foundation for a series of widely ratified human rights treaties, which form much of the structure of international human rights law today. These are the rules. commitments, and obligations to which states bound themselves with a view to respecting and protecting the inherent dignity of the human person.
In 1975, in the Helsinki Final Act, participating States reaffirmed their commitment to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms and acknowledged the intrinsic link between human rights and security. The signing of the Helsinki Final Act had a profound impact on human rights activism, sparking the creation of “Helsinki Committees” and “Helsinki Watch” groups which monitored their governments’ compliance with human rights principles. We have seen in our region how increased respect for human rights can bring tangible change and benefit for people.
We are also seeing how a disregard for human rights can bring not only suffering for individuals but also undermine security and stability for communities and societies.
In the OSCE region, we are reminded of this daily by the terrible abuses of human rights committed by Russia in the context of their war of aggression against Ukraine.
But human rights abuses and violations are not limited to the context of this war.
We are alarmed by reports this week of a new wave of raids conducted in clubs and bars in Moscow, described by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs as part of the “fight against LGBT propaganda.” In some establishments clients were forced to lie face down on the floor, other clients were reportedly given summonses to the military registration and enlistment office, while others were fined for hooliganism. Individuals have even been charged with “organizing extremist activity” simply for providing business services to LGBTQIA+ people.
The incompatibility of Russia’s “anti-LGBT propaganda” laws with its human rights obligations was confirmed by the European Court of Human Rights. Furthermore, UN experts and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have raised serious concerns about the dangerous precedent set by declaring the “international LGBT movement” as “extremist.” Since the adoption of these laws, we have seen the tangible impact of these designations in the repeated use of the state apparatus to harass and persecute LGBTQIA+ individuals in Russia.
Moreover, the measures Russia has introduced are tools of authoritarianism and control – creating a climate of fear and ultimately impacting the human rights and freedoms of all Russians.
Regrettably, we have seen other participating States move to replicate this approach by restricting LGBTQIA+ content in media, education, and public spaces.
We urge those participating States, and those considering such legislation, to reconsider. We urge this not based on our opinion or perspective but rather based on the standards that we have all agreed – on the basis of the UDHR, on the basis of our human rights obligations, and on the basis of our OSCE commitments.
This is not a culture war. It is not a question of West of Vienna versus East of Vienna, because there is no difference in the human dimension commitments that we all, as participating States, have accepted. The best way to protect values is to ensure that the human rights of all individuals are respected.
Madam Chair
No country or society is free from discrimination and intolerance. All participating States must work to ensure respect for the human rights of their populations.
In marking this Human Rights Day, let us recommit ourselves to respecting and protecting the inherent dignity of the human person everywhere in this region.
Thank you,
