44th session of the Human Rights Council. Statement delivered by Ambassador Veronika Bard.
Madam President,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the eight Nordic-Baltic countries.
A global pandemic needs a global response that reaffirms our strong support for multilateralism and international institutions. National and global action must be joint and coordinated and address the needs of all. But the crisis can never be an excuse for undue restrictions of democracy or human rights.
The global trend of democratic backsliding and weakened respect for human rights risks being further compounded by the pandemic.
Any emergency measures must be strictly in line with international law: prescribed by law, necessary, non-discriminatory, time-bound and proportionate to the evaluated risk. We are particularly concerned about negative impacts on civil society, human rights defenders and gender equality and women and girls' sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as possible disinformation campaigns and abuse of surveillance technology. Free, independent and pluralistic media, both online and offline, is necessary to keep the public informed.
We welcome the PRST and thank the High Commissioner and her Office for leadership in putting human rights, democracy and the rule of law at the heart of the global response. These efforts make a crucial contribution to the monitoring and reporting of human rights violations and abuses in the context of the pandemic, for which there must be accountability.
I thank you.