HC Türk message to the Hernan Santa Cruz Dialogue

Ministers,
Distinguished participants,

It is a pleasure to address the Hernan Santa Cruz Dialogue once again. I thank the Government of the People’s Republic of China for convening the dialogue and I send my greetings to all participants.

This series honors Hernan Santa Cruz – the Chilean diplomat who contributed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – and his commitment to equality for all. It offers a unique platform to exchange on how governments and the international community can work towards this ideal by embracing the transformative potential of human rights .

We live in a world scarred by inequality and drowning in global public debt.

More than 8 percent of the world lives in extreme povert y, while the world’s top 1 percent own more wealth than 95 percent of humanity.

In 2023, 1 out of 11 people in the world faced hunger.

More than 40 percent of the global population live in countries that spend more on servicing their debt than on either education or health.

And this situation is not improving. Indeed, since 2020, around 5 billion people – more than half the world – have become poorer.

It is unacceptable that the most basic needs of so many people are unmet – and are out of reach.

Increasing conflict, the climate emergency and the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic all play a role.

But we live in a world of plenty, with enough for everyone.

O ur economies are powerful forces. They can and must be part of the solution.

Because economic growth alone will not address structural injustices or fulfil people’s basic human rights. Indeed, the pursuit of economic growth at all costs has contributed to the denial of human rights and the destruction of our climate and our environment.

Our current economic systems must undergo a profound transformation to ensure all decisions deliver on all human rights - economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights, the right to development, and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Anchoring our economies in human rights means a fair share for all. Human rights can guide countries to invest in policies that build trust, prevent tensions, and make societies more resilient.

A human rights economy, a key advocacy priority of my Office, involves ensuring that all economic policies – from taxation and public spending to climate action and the just transition - focus on advancing human rights, such as the rights to health and social protection; education and decent work; justice and credible institutions; and to be free from discrimination based on racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic origin, or other grounds.

Guaranteeing the right to meaningful participation is key to the full implementation of economic, social, and cultural rights, and underpins the right to development. This also means ensuring that participation is inclusive and gender-sensitive so that economic decisions take into account their impact on the most marginalized .

Therefore, civic space – the work of civil society actors, academia, scientific community and the private sector - is crucial. An open civic space fosters creativity and innovation, which are precisely what we need to respond to today’s challenges.

A human rights economy also takes into account the specific situations of national economies, so its approach is targeted and evidence-based .

My Office is working hand in hand with several States on concrete projects to develop more participatory and human rights-focused approaches to public budgets. This includes work to increase access to social protection, and to enable more equitable taxation which can support additional investment in fulfilling people’s economic, social, and cultural rights.

At this critical moment, I am convinced we need more such initiatives, and must deepen engagement with Member States, business, universities, and civil society on these issues.

Distinguished participants,

The human rights economy is not just about national policies. The current practices of international financial institutions often force States to cut investment in human rights in order to repay their debts. This shrinking fiscal space for human rights means States are unable to mobilize the maximum available resources for the progressive realization of the rights to health, social protection, food, water and sanitation, housing, and education - contrary to their international human rights obligations.

I urge all international financial institutions – including Multilateral Development Banks – to help governments to prioritise investments in human rights, sustainable development, and climate action. This means tackling the high cost of debt and agreeing on an effective process for debt restructuring.

These are important elements of the Pact for the Future agreed in September, together with the urgent need for reform of our international financial system to redress longstanding structural and systemic injustices. I urge all countries to work together to implement the Pact.

We must also strengthen international development cooperation, by increasing access to development finance and ensuring a massive injection of resources to finance the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals – the greatest prevention and human rights tool we have.

Finally, we need to tackle global tax abuse, redesign the global tax architecture to make it fairer and more inclusive, and reform global tax rules to increase government resources. That means implementing progressive tax policies; and ensuring that human rights are front and centre during the drafting of the UN Convention on Tax Cooperation.

Distinguished participants,

Our international human rights architecture envisages a social and international order in which the dignity, rights and freedoms of all people can be realized. This gathering is one of the ways to work together in that spirit.

I look forward to hearing about today’s discussions.