“International Day of Peace is a timely moment to highlight the importance of human rights in the Pacific, and to focus on the challenges facing the region,” said Matilda Bogner, Regional Representative for the Pacific of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Today, millions of people around the world come together to celebrate peaceful co-existence and mutual respect. This day was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to promote peace both within and among all nations and peoples. In 2002 the General Assembly officially declared 21 September as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace. By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged all of humankind to work in cooperation for this goal. Respecting and promoting human rights are an integral part of promoting peace.

Matilda Bogner explains what human rights are in the context of Peace Day: “Human rights are legal guarantees that protect human dignity and fundamental freedoms of individuals and groups. All countries that belong to the United Nations have a responsibility to promote and protect these rights. The right to life is a fundamental human right that is inherent to all human beings, whoever we are. Armed conflict, whether in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands or in other regions of the world, inevitably leads to severe human rights abuses, such as the rights to life, security and liberty of person, adequate housing and food. These are rights that we are all equally entitled to without discrimination.”

“Conflict often starts with human rights abuses and leads to human rights violations. Fortunately, most countries in the Pacific are not experiencing armed conflict. However, it is a concern that the human rights framework in many countries is not well developed and that the Pacific has one of the lowest rates of ratification of human rights treaties in the world. So, it is important to ensure human rights protections in law and practice.”

“The Pacific countries face key challenges in the task to strengthen human rights protections at the national level. Governments need to ensure that they hold abusers accountable, whether they are government officials or private actors, and discrimination needs to be countered in all its forms. In addition, human rights civil society groups in the Pacific need to be strengthened and sufficiently resourced to monitor and document the violations that are happening,” said Ms Bogner.

OHCHR Pacific Regional Office, based in Suva, covers 16 countries of the Pacific and provides technical assistance to governments, national human rights institutions, civil society and other stakeholders in the form of trainings, legal and policy advice and awareness raising. The Office encourages and assists governments and civil society in the region to actively engage with the international human rights mechanisms. It monitors, documents and reports on human rights situations in the region, focuses on mainstreaming human rights in development and in humanitarian work in the Pacific, and promotes human rights through advocacy and awareness activities.

ENDS