MOGADISHU — The United Nations on Thursday called on all Somalis to unite to build a post-COVID-19 Somalia that is better for present and future generations.
James Swan, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia said the world body remains committed to supporting the promotion and protection of human rights for the benefit of the Somalis during this challenging time.
“Like other communities around the globe, the pandemic has also struck Somali society and has impacted on medical, social, political and economic aspects of the lives of Somalis,” Swan said in a statement issued in Mogadishu to mark the Human Rights Day whose theme centered on “Recover Better. Stand Up for Human Rights.”
This year’s theme aims to ensure that human rights are at the heart of recovery efforts and to combat the effects of the pandemic on vulnerable and marginalized groups.
The UN envoy said to recover better from the impact of COVID-19 entails strengthening commitment to human rights and to achieving the objectives set out in the Sustainable Development Goals.
“These include addressing inequalities among various communities, the provision of health and social protection systems, addressing environmental degradation, strengthening institutions, and addressing human rights violations,” said Swan.
He said the pandemic has added to the existing vulnerabilities that pose a serious threat of leaving even more people behind and exacerbating the already dire situation for the country’s most vulnerable populations following the impact of floods and desert locust infestation. Observed on Dec. 10, Human Rights Day commemorates the day in 1948 on which the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
