EDITORIAL - The price of human rights

The nation joins the international community in marking Human Rights Day today, with the presidential spokesman recently explaining the rights record of the Duterte administration before the International Criminal Court. Harry Roque argued that there is no basis for the ICC to step into the rights situation in the Philippines because avenues for redress of violations continue to function.

Roque faced the ICC shortly before the kickoff today of yearlong preparations to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After seven decades, memories have receded of why the United Nations General Assembly, in its third year of existence, approved the landmark document: the hope that there would be no repeat of the atrocities perpetrated during World War II, particularly the Holocaust.

The declaration did not end gross human rights violations including genocide, with the Rohingyas in Myanmar just the latest victims of what is being seen as ethnic cleansing. Certain governments have tried to redefine human rights in their favor, but in the end the ideals that underpin the declaration prevail: all human beings deserve dignity, justice and equality.

Efforts to achieve those ideals continue even in the most prosperous economies and liberal societies. On the eve of Human Rights Day, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein lamented that the system of values rooted in respect for civil liberties, which promoted development, peace and security after the war, is unraveling in many parts of the globe. He reminded everyone that the Universal Declaration was written for all. And it is up to each individual to protect and advance those rights, by standing up not just for oneself but also for others.

Noting the threats to the legacy of the Universal Declaration, he warned: “If we let our commitment to uphold human rights drift – if we turn aside when they are abused – they will slowly shrivel and die. If that happens, the cost in human life and misery will be immense, and the whole of humanity will pay a heavy price.”