Protecting Human Rights : Problem-solving Tool

“Human rights in the face of contemporary global challenges.” That is the theme of the conference granted by the visiting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, at the International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC) on August 7, 2024. 
Attended by senior officials, amongst them the Delegate General for National Security and the representatives of the diplomatic corps, his presentation was based on three main points including peace building, democracy and sustainable development. Globally, he emphasised on the protection of human rights as a great basis to solving so many problems. 
Presenting a general overview of the human rights situation in the world, the High Commissioner noted that there are some 59 raving wars ongoing with traumatic impact on the civilians. Inequalities, he noted, continue to widen therefore further drafting from attaining the objectives of SDGs 2030. The impacts of climate change, hate speech and its corrosive consequences, crackdown on peaceful protesters, unconstitutional changes and opaque electoral processes, the High Commissioner noted, are some of the aspects that hinder the peace building process across the globe. Notwithstanding the challenges, Volker Türk noted that there exist necessary tools to address the challenges.
On peace building, the High Commissioner highlighted the importance of inclusion in the decision making process as the respect of human rights helps to diagnose the problem and address it. To that effect, he noted that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reinforces the capacity building of staff in the monitoring and evaluation of human rights situations through their regional offices such as the one in Yaounde. To him, human rights means accountability, reconciliation and guaranteeing the non-repetition of violation acts.
As concerns democracy, Volker Türk said they concept goes beyond elections to include par...