Remarks by UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche marking International Day of Women Human Rights Defenders

Hon. State Minister of Finance, Shehan Semasinghe; 

Prof. Fathima Farzana Haniffa; 

Prof. Savithri Goonesekere; 

Excellencies; 

Dear Ramaya and UN Colleagues; 

Distinguished guests; 

I am delighted to welcome you to our commemoration of International Women Human Rights Defenders Day.  

Each year, the United Nations honours the vital work of women human rights defenders around the world, recognizing their vital leadership in safeguarding human rights. 

Today, we celebrate Sri Lankan women human rights defenders, whose work advance human rights and sustainable development in Sri Lanka 

We also take this opportunity to commemorate Human Rights Day which this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  

Born in the aftermath of the horrors of World War II, this landmark document marked a groundbreaking international commitment to the rights of all people.  

It affirmed that these rights are universal, interdependent, and indivisible. 

In the 75 years since the proclamation of the Universal Declaration, much progress has been achieved across all rights. 

However, much remains to be done to ensure that the principles enshrined in the Declaration are fulfilled everywhere.  In the last decade: 

Conflicts are raging. 

Poverty and hunger are increasing. 

Inequalities are deepening. 

The climate crisis, which has been currently discussed at COP28, is a human rights crisis hitting the most vulnerable the hardest. 

Gender equality is still far from becoming a reality. 

Today, the Universal Declaration is more important than ever.  Protecting the rights of others is the best way to protect ones own. 

When we allow the rights of others to be trampled we give licence to others to erode our rights.   

As a “common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations”, the Declaration is a global blueprint for international, national, and local laws and policies and a bedrock of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

Human rights defenders around the world play a central role in upholding the rights and values enshrined in the Declaration 

They translate global human rights norms into action. 

Women human rights defenders are central towards progressive change centered on human rights principles.  

Women around the world have led unprecedented movements for greater justice, equity, and democracy. 

They have demonstrated extraordinary courage, even when they are, themselves, particularly vulnerable to human rights violations. 

Their bravery often comes at a high cost, as they confront societal norms, challenge injustices, and push for transformative changes under difficult and sometimes dangerous circumstances. 

Ten years ago, the General Assembly recognised the rights and challenges of Women Human Rights Defenders specifically, noting the heightened risks they face at the intersection of power structures.  

A recent report issued by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation for human rights defenders highlights that in addition to the risks caused by their work, women human rights defenders also face multiple and overlapping risks due to their gender and identity. 

Too often, it is their rights that are most violated. 

Too often, they are forced to make difficult personal sacrifices for the freedom of others. 

Today, those of us who work to advance human rights stand on their shoulders and continue on the path that they have paved.  

The United Nations in Sri Lanka is grateful to partner and support many Sri Lankan Women Human Rights Defenders and their organisations.  

These partnerships inform our collective work to: 

• Strengthen equitable and effective justice systems and democratic institutions,  

• End violence against marginalized groups, including sexual and gender-based violence. 

• Improve healthcare systems. 

• Support recovery and reconciliation. 

• Ensure equitable access to food and nutrition. 

There is much more to be done.  

Indeed the country, with the support of the United Nations should prioritize more regular, targeted, and cross-sectoral consultation and engagement with women human rights defenders. 

This will bring more nuanced and intersectional perspectives vital to strong rights-based policies, structures, and programming.  

Sri Lanka can also do so much more to empower women human rights defenders, publicly and politically, as an essential driver of development and prosperity in this country 

Women human rights defenders must be afforded freedoms and protection that allow them to continue to advance and advocate for the rights of all. 

I call on all our partners to stand alongside women human rights defenders in recognition of their essential contribution to human rights in Sri Lanka, and the gendered risks that they face.  

I hope that this event can serve as a platform to amplify their voices, and a moment for us to learn from them and their experiences. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

The Universal Declaration for Human Rights calls upon everybody to stand up for human rights. 

We are all entrusted with a vital role to fulfill. 

It falls upon everyone to safeguard the rights of others as a way to protect your own. 

Thank you all for being here today. 

Thank you for your commitment to these women leaders who show us the way.