The document provides for the intensification of measures in the area of “gender equality” and “sexual and reproductive rights.”
- The Council of the European Union has published a document setting out the EU’s human rights priorities within the UN system.
- The document underscores the importance and necessity of protecting human rights, while also noting that there is currently an attack on the international order based on these principles.
- The document provides for intensified efforts in the areas of “gender equality,” “sexual and reproductive rights,” countering disinformation, and supporting civil society.
- The EU unequivocally condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine and the systemic human rights violations in Russia and Belarus.
- In the area of migration, the EU commits to protecting the right to asylum while combating illegal migration and the instrumentalization of migrants for political purposes.
“A broad-based assault on international law”
On January 26, the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union published a document addressed to the Committee of Permanent Representatives operating within the EU, containing proposals for setting the Union’s human rights priorities across various UN forums. It addressed a range of issues related to the broadly understood field of human rights, including matters such as respect for international law, “sexual and reproductive rights,” migration, and the situation in selected countries. These proposals were approved by the Council of the EU on January 30.
At the outset, the authors of the document emphasized the importance and significance of human rights, noting that they are, among other things, universal, indivisible, and interrelated. They also stressed that respect for them is essential to human dignity, equality, democracy, the rule of law, and sustainable development. In this context, they also drew attention to the European Union’s “unwavering commitment” to upholding and respecting human rights.
On the other hand, the document notes that there is currently a “broad assault against the rules-based international order, human rights, internationally agreed norms, and the institutions we have established to enforce them runs counter the EU’s strategic interests” (p. 2). There is also a clear declaration that the European Union will continue to take a firm stance and play a leading role in upholding and promoting international law and human rights, drawing on its unity to support interregional partnerships that strengthen global norms and peace. The authors of the document further commit to continue their cooperation to promote respect for international law and human rights. “We will use every opportunity in multilateral fora to counter the pushback against human rights,” the document states (p. 2).
Advocacy for “gender equality”, “sexual and reproductive rights”, and countering disinformation
The European Union also announces plans to take further measures aimed at “equality.”
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