2020 INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY COMMEMORATION

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2020 INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY COMMEMORATION

The International Human Rights Day is commemorated across the globe. This day is celebrated with an aim to improve the physical and socio-cultural well-being and welfare of people throughout the world. Rounding off 16 Days of Activism against Gender based violence the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) Cameroon team members led by the MNVC/PA, H.E. Bienvenu Goare, National Coordinator Holy Anagho, and Zonal Coordinator Georges Eliot Ayuk with over one hundred (100) volunteers joint the international community to celebrate the international human rights day in this 10th day of December 2020. This day commemorates the 10 December 1948 unanimous adoption of the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly, which proclaims the inalienable rights of all people. It is an annual reminder that everyone is entitled to all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights regardless of nationality, race, age, ethnicity, political affiliation, religion, social origin, gender, disability, or any other status.

Accompanied by military escorts, and high media coverage from Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV), Equinox Television, HiTV and the Sun News Paper, the IHRC team and volunteers used this great opportunity through streets match to spread awareness about the importance of human rights in Cameroon.

During press interviews, the IHRC MNVC/PA said 10 December is an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of human rights in re-building the world we want, the need for global solidarity as well as our interconnectedness and shared humanity. This could be achieved by creating equal opportunities for all and addressing the issues of inequality, exclusion and discrimination.

This year’s Human Rights Day theme “Recover Better and Stand up for Human Rights” focused on the devastating effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the underprivileged people, children, and women and the need to build back better by ensuring human rights are central to recovery efforts. In another press interview, the IHRC national coordinator emphasized on the need to build back better by ensuring that Human Rights are central to recovery efforts. She said, ‘we will reach our common goals only if we are able to create equal opportunities for all, address the failures exposed and exploited by COVID-19, and apply human rights standards’.

According to the United Nations, the participation of youth is necessary to achieve sustainable development goals for all. They can play an important role to make a positive change. It is therefore necessary to empower youth to know their rights so that they can claim their rights in the case of urgency and benefit globally. Speaking to the press, the IHRC zonal coordinator said Human rights are at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and that in the absence of human dignity we cannot hope to drive sustainable development. He said human rights must be driven by progress on all SDGs, and the SDGs are driven by advancements on human rights. He urged the government of Cameroon to paying attention to the youths by engaging them in the 2035 agenda.

It is often during armed conflicts that human rights are infringed upon the most. For almost five years, the Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North Region and the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon have blighted the lives of many civilians and military with serious violations of human rights by the conflicting parties. In her closing remark, the IHRC national coordinator called on conflicting parties respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law by its armed forces and other persons or groups acting in fact on its instructions, or under its direction or control.

National Volunteers' Coordinator, Ms. Holy Anagho (IHRC SMM, Cameroon)

MNVC/P.A H.E Bienvenu Goare Hiroua

Georges Elliot Ayuk

Zonal Coordinator