Each year on 10 December, we commemorate the International Human Rights Day to honour the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. Although not legally binding, the UDHR is one of the most important political documents of the 20th century and represents a watershed moment in the area of human rights.
The UDHR laid the foundation for today’s international human rights system. It details for the first time basic rights and freedoms every man is entitled to by birth, without discrimination. The principles of universality, inalienability and interconnectedness of human rights, as well as the standards set forth in the UDHR, have been expanded and integrated into the subsequent legally binding international agreements and eventually became the “joint measurement” for the actions of governments, individuals and NGOs.
Human rights are the cornerstone for building peaceful, stable and developed societies. Marking the Human Rights Day symbolizes the enduring struggle to maintain the progress achieved in the area of human rights, recalling at the same time the need for constant raising of awareness as well as for their active protection and promotion.
The respect for human rights and freedoms is among the highest values of Croatia’s constitutional order. As a strong advocate of human rights, Croatia is continuously making efforts – nationally, bilaterally and multilaterally, to advance the existing format of human rights protection, with an emphasis on fighting discrimination, gender equality, women empowerment, combating violence and protection of vulnerable groups.
All of the above is particularly important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, whose impact on the socioeconomic rights of citizens was felt the strongest precisely by the most vulnerable groups – women, children, the elderly, minorities, refugees and migrants, highlighting the existing social inequalities and making the vulnerable groups even more vulnerable.
In these challenging times, Croatia remains dedicated to the universal norms and obligations assumed, trying to keep the respect for human rights and basic freedoms, as well as democracy, rule of law and equality, as the forefront of public policies, including those aimed at fighting the pandemic and initiating social recovery.