A New Approach To Global Human Rights Leadership – World Report 2023

The obvious conclusion to be drawn from the litany of human rights crises in 2022 from Taliban putting millions of Afghans at risk of starvation to Russian President Vladimir Putin's deliberate attacks on civilians in Ukraine and Chinese President Xi Jinping's open-air prison for the Uyghur’s—is that unchecked authoritarian power leaves behind a sea of human suffering. But the year 2022 also brought about a fundamental shift in the balance of power that makes it possible for all concerned governments to stand up to these abuses by defending and bolstering the international human rights system, particularly when the major powers' actions are insufficient or problematic.

 

In exchange for what appear to be temporary political gains, we have seen world leaders cynically trade away human rights duties and accountability for human rights violators. When he was in power and faced with high gas costs, Joe Biden's principled promise to declare Saudi Arabia a "pariah state" due to its human rights record and was eviscerated by his brotherly fist bump with Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. The Biden administration has also toned down criticism of abuses and rising authoritarianism in India, Thailand, the Philippines, and other countries in the region for security and economic reasons rather than acknowledging their interconnectedness, despite rhetoric about prioritizing democracy and human rights in Asia.

 

Of course, global superpowers are not the only ones who engage in these kind of double standards. Due to its close ties to China, Pakistan has disregarded potential crimes against humanity against Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang while supporting the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' monitoring of violations in Muslim-majority Kashmir. Given its role as coordinator of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Pakistan's hypocrisy is especially evident.

 

Human rights situations don't just happen. Governments that breach their duty to protect domestic human rights generate the seeds of unrest, instability, and, eventually, crises. If abusive governments' outrageous behavior is allowed to continue, it strengthens the notion that violence, censorship, corruption, and impunity are the best means of achieving their goals. Human rights abuses are expensive to ignore, and their consequences should not be understated.

 

But in a world where power is moving, we also saw a chance to prepare our 2023 World Report, which assesses the situation of human rights in nearly 100 nations. Each problem must be recognized for what it is and dealt with accordingly, leadership is needed for each. Any state can exercise that leadership if it understands the strength that comes from cooperating with others to bring about human rights change. There is more room, not less, for governments to take a stand and enact policies that uphold human rights.

 

There are now new alliances and leadership voices that can help shape and advance this trend. More states are now recognizing that Israeli authorities are perpetrating the crime against humanity of apartheid against Palestinians thanks to South Africa, Namibia, and Indonesia. While Vanuatu spearheads an attempt to bring the negative effects of climate change before the International Court of Justice for their own sake—and ours—Pacific Island nations have called for more aggressive emissions reductions from the largest polluting nations.

 

Additionally, the "green wave" of abortion-rights expansions in Latin America—particularly in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico—offers a compelling counter narrative to the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn 50 years of federal protection for reproductive rights. Our increasingly disturbed world has taught us to rethink how power is used throughout the world and to recognize that all governments not only have the ability to protect human rights within their borders but also bear responsibility for doing so.

 

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin in February and the crimes that followed soon climbed to the top of the global human rights agenda in 2022. The UN discovered that at least 70 civilians had been the victims of unlawful killings, including summary executions, which are war crimes, when Ukrainian troops forced the Russian military to leave Bucha, north of the capital, Kyiv. Numerous times, Russian atrocities have followed this pattern. Hundreds of displaced citizens sought refuge at Mariupol's Drama Theater, where they painted the word "DETI" (children) on the ground outside in letters so huge that they could be seen on satellite images. 

 

The citizens sheltering within, including numerous children, were to be protected by this notice. Instead, it appeared to be used purely as a motivator by Russian forces, whose bombs destroyed the structure and killed at least 12—and probably more—of its occupants. The Kremlin's policy appears to be centered on causing hardship to civilians, as evidenced by the repeated attacks on the energy infrastructure that Ukrainians rely on for heat, water, and power. Putin's brazenness has been made possible in large part by his historical freedom to act without consequence. 

 

Syrians who endured severe maltreatment from airstrikes after Russia intervened to back Bashar al-forces Assad's in 2015 are not surprised by the loss of civilian life in Ukraine. Putin chose well-known military leaders from that fight to lead the Ukrainian war effort, with predictable—and disastrous—repercussions for civilians. Along with its horrific military actions in Ukraine, Russia has cracked down on anti-war and human rights campaigners domestically, stifling dissent and any criticism of Putin's regime. However, one benefit of Russia's conduct has been the full activation of the global human rights framework set up to handle situations like this. The UN Human Rights Council swiftly launched an investigation to gather and preserve proof of human rights abuses during the conflict, and later appointed a special rapporteur to keep tabs on the condition of human rights in Russia. 

 

Both Russia's invasion and its breaches of human rights were denounced four times by the UN General Assembly, most often with resounding majorities. Additionally, the General Assembly expelled Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, reducing its ability to sabotage the resolution of the significant human rights crises in Ukraine and elsewhere on the council's agenda. Millions of Ukrainian refugees were welcomed by European nations, which was a good response but also revealed the hypocrisy of the majority of EU members in how they continue to treat countless Syrians, Afghans, Palestinians, Somalis, and other asylum seekers. 

 

Following a referral of the situation by an unprecedented number of the court's member countries, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague started an investigation into the situation in Ukraine. The European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other governments have imposed targeted international sanctions against Russian people, businesses, and other entities in an effort to reduce Putin's influence and military might globally.

 

This incredible response demonstrated what is achievable in terms of accountability, protecting refugees, and defending the human rights of some of the most defenseless individuals on earth. At the same time, the horrific abuses and attacks against civilians in Ukraine should serve as a warning that despite its importance, this consolidated support should not be mistaken for a quick remedy. Governments should instead consider how things might have turned out if there had been a concerted effort to hold Putin accountable much earlier—in 2014, at the start of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in 2015, for atrocities in Syria, or for the escalating crackdown on human rights within Russia over the past ten years. The task for nations moving forward is to emulate the best aspects of the international reaction in Ukraine and increase the political will to confront other crises globally until there is a real improvement in human rights.

 

Despite two years of atrocities, including a number of massacres, by the opposing sides, the armed conflict in northern Ethiopia has only attracted a small portion of the attention that the world has given to Ukraine. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the regional government of Tigray, and the federal government of Ethiopia clashed in 2020, with the Amhara regional forces and the military of Eritrea supporting the Ethiopian armed forces. Since then, the government has severely restricted access to conflict zones for unbiased rights watchdogs and journalists, making it challenging to monitor atrocities as they occur, even when the crisis moved to the nearby Amhara and Afar regions.

 

Governments and the UN have denounced the indiscriminate deaths, extensive sexual assault, and looting, but little else has been done. The Western Tigrayan population was the target of an ethnic cleansing campaign that led to numerous fatalities, sexual assaults, widespread incarceration, and thousands of forced evictions. In contravention of international law, the government maintained a successful siege on the Tigray region into 2022, depriving the civilian populace of access to food, medication, and life-saving humanitarian relief as well as energy, banking, and communication. Despite the UN Security Council's responsibility to uphold and restore global peace and security, the three elected African members—Gabon, Ghana, and Kenya—along with Russia and China, have prevented Ethiopia from even being placed on the formal agenda for consideration.

 

Additionally, governments have been hesitant to enact specific sanctions on Ethiopian organizations and people that have violated the law. Instead, international oversight was left to the UN Human Rights Council, which narrowly extended the authority of the mechanism it established in December 2021 to look into, preserve, and identify those responsible for egregious breaches. Federal officials in Ethiopia, meanwhile, continue to vehemently obstruct its activities.

 

An agreement between the federal government of Ethiopia and the Tigrayan authorities following a 10-day African Union-led peace process culminated in a truce in November, which presents an opportunity for other states to take the lead in promoting measures that can end deadly cycles of violence and impunity. Aside from legitimate efforts to bring individuals responsible for wartime crimes accountable, international monitoring of the agreement is required because domestic accountability channels are difficult to find.

 

The principal supporters and observers of the accord, such as the AU, UN, and US, should make clear their desire for independent investigative bodies to have access to combat zones so they can gather and preserve evidence. In order for victims and their families to receive some kind of justice and compensation, accountability for these atrocities must continue to be a top priority.

 

With his unprecedented third term as chairman of the Chinese Communist Party achieved in October, Chinese President Xi Jinping effectively cemented his position as a "leader for life" and virtually guaranteed the continuation of the Chinese government's steadfast opposition to human rights protections. As Xi has surrounded himself with supporters and accelerated the creation of a security state, more people's rights are being violated all over the nation. Beijing's mass detention of an estimated one million Uyghur’s and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang region, who are subjected to political indoctrination, torture, and forced labor, as well as harsh restrictions on the general population's rights to religion, expression, and culture, stand out for their gravity, scale, and cruelty. In line with the findings of Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations, the UN determined that the abuses occurring in Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity.

 

The thorough study by Michelle Bachelet, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, was based on years of research and internal Chinese government papers, laws, regulations, data, and official pronouncements. It served as a crucial point of agreement from which states should proceed. Beijing exerted significant pressure to conceal the report, as evidenced by the fact that it was only made public in the dying moments of Bachelet's presidency.

 

A substantial diplomatic mobilization resulted from the report. The Human Rights Council was presented with a resolution to start a discussion about the report, but it was only successful by two votes. The outcome was a reflection of Beijing's pressure on nations like Indonesia, which abstained after declaring that we "must not close our eyes" to the plight of the Uyghurs, as well as on Argentina, India, Mexico, and Brazil. However, the support of 24 mostly Western nations and the "yes" votes of Somalia, Honduras, and Paraguay, as well as Turkey and Albania's co-sponsorship, demonstrate the potential for new coalitions and cross-regional alliances to form in order to counter the Chinese government's expectation of impunity.

 

Beijing is scrambling to justify its atrocious behavior as a result of the widespread attention being focused on the appalling human rights situation in Xinjiang. The conclusion in Geneva makes it even more important for the UN leadership to support the report with all of its political clout and to keep track of, document, and report on the situation in Xinjiang and more generally in China. Anything less would be a betrayal of the UN system's obligation to safeguard Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang under the human rights pillar.

 

In the meantime, as concern over the Chinese government's repressive intentions has grown, governments from countries such as Australia, Japan, Canada, the UK, the EU, and the US have sought to forge trade and security ties with India, hiding behind its claim to be the "largest democracy" in the world. However, in order to strengthen its hold on power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has imitated many of the same abuses that have allowed the Chinese government to repress its people—systematic discrimination against religious minorities, the suppression of peaceful dissent, and the use of technology to stifle free expression. The international leaders' ostensibly casual compromises on human rights—justified as the price of doing business—ignore the long-term effects of their decisions. Increasing relations with the Modi administration while avoiding its disturbing human rights record wastes the opportunity to use power to defend the priceless but increasingly threatened civic space that India's democracy depends on.

 

Autocrats profit from the delusion that they are essential to preserving stability, which appears to justify their control and the extensive human rights abuses they perpetrate to that aim. However, this "stability," which is fueled by the never-ending ambition for power and dominance, corrodes every foundational element required for a functioning society founded on the rule of law. Massive corruption, a shattered economy, and an utterly biased judiciary are typically the outcomes. A crucial civic space is being destroyed, and independent journalists and activists are being jailed, hiding, or fearing punishment. 

 

The protracted demonstrations in Iran in 2022 highlight the serious dangers for autocracies of thinking that repression is a quick fix for stability. Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, was killed in September after being detained by "morality police" for donning an "improper hijab," which sparked protests across the nation. But opposition to the hijab's requirement is merely the most obvious manifestation of tyranny. People fed up with living without fundamental rights and being dominated by individuals who callously neglect their people's welfare are among the new generation of demonstrators seen around the nation. The Iranian people's broad movement against a government that has routinely denied them their rights, mishandled the economy, and plunged people into poverty has evolved from the demand for equality brought on by women and schoolgirls. 

 

With excessive and fatal force, as well as fake trials and the death penalty for those who dared to oppose the government's authority, Iranian authorities have mercilessly put an end to what have grown into widespread anti-government rallies. Hints that the morality police may be abolished fall far short of the demonstrators' demands to end the discriminatory hijab rules and even further from the basic structural changes they are calling for to increase political accountability.

 

There are further examples of the connection between poor governance and abuses being unpunished. Massive protests about shortages of food, petrol, and other necessities in Sri Lanka led to the resignations of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Sadly, Ranil Wickremasinghe, the person, the parliament chose to succeed them, has abandoned promises to justice and accountability for grievous breaches perpetrated during the nation's 26-year civil conflict, which concluded in 2009. Instead of concentrating on the economic crisis and achieving social fairness, President Wickremasinghe cracked down on rallies, including imprisoning student activists using the infamous Prevention of Terrorism Act. Additionally, the foundations of formerly impenetrable nations have begun to show cracks. 

 

As part of its "zero Covid" strategy, Beijing implemented strict lockdown measures in November that caused increasing resentment. As a result, protesters in various cities across the nation took to the streets to express their outrage at the Communist Party's harsh policies and, in some cases, Xi's leadership. These astonishing acts of defiance, led primarily by children and young women, illustrate that despite the vast resources the Chinese government has invested in suppressing human rights, these ambitions will not go away. It is simple to applaud those who protest in public in support of human rights. However, we cannot rely on the demonstrators to identify the issues which they do at tremendous personal danger to themselves and their families—and hold those accountable for the hardships they have endured. 

 

Governments should live up to their global human rights duties, not only ponder and posture about them. Rights-respecting governments need to contribute their political stamina and attention to ensuring that essential human rights change comes to fruition. Take Sudan, where the oppressive power structure that had long held the nation under siege was overthrown by the people's revolution in 2018–19. A military coup in late 2021 undid the country's two-year combined civilian-military transition, placing Sudanese autocrats and military leaders involved in significant abuses—some of whom are still continuing abuses—in charge of the future of the nation.

 

But despite fatal crackdowns, the Sudanese grassroots Resistance Committees—civilian pro-democracy organizations born of the 2018 revolution—continue to exist. These organizations insist on a civilian-only transition and call for the accountability of individuals in charge of wrongdoing. Political players and the military coup leaders negotiated a tentative agreement in December, delaying discussions on reforms to the judiciary and security sectors until later, but demonstrators and victims' organizations have rejected the pact. The demands of these organizations, particularly those for justice and an end to impunity for those in authority, should be a top priority for the US, UN, EU, and regional partners when dealing with Sudan's military leadership if Sudan is to move toward a more rights-respecting future. Those who orchestrated a coup to seize control won't relinquish it without financial or other penalties.

 

Similar to this, it is crucial to prioritize the demands of Myanmar's millions of citizens who are fighting for democratic civil rule and human rights. This would help resolve the issue. Myanmar's military carried out a coup in February 2021, and ever since, it has violently repressed the country's broad opposition. The military junta has committed systemic wrongdoing over the past two years, including extrajudicial killings, torture, and sexual assault, which constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes. To deal with the issue in Myanmar, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the country's junta formed a "Five Point Consensus." 

 

It has fallen short, the junta's failure to comply has been acknowledged by a number of ASEAN nations, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Representatives of the Myanmar junta have been excluded from ASEAN's high-level meetings ever since the coup. In addition, ASEAN has exerted meagre pressure on Myanmar, while other strong governments, such as those of the US and UK, conceal their own modest actions behind regional deference.

 

ASEAN must take a new approach in order to get a different result. The opposition National Unity Government of Myanmar, which was established by elected lawmakers, representatives of ethnic minorities, and members of civil society after the military coup, met openly for the first time with an ASEAN official in September. That official was Malaysia's then-Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. The bloc should adopt this strategy and engage with members of civil society.

 

ASEAN should further increase pressure on Myanmar by joining with international initiatives to halt the junta's acquisition of weapons and foreign currency, which would subsequently erode Myanmar's military. To preserve the group's commitment to a "people-oriented, people-centered ASEAN," Indonesia could take the lead in 2023 as the ASEAN chair in a review of the junta's human rights record and failure to adhere to the Five-Point Consensus. Indonesia should also consider suspending Myanmar.

 

The recognition that attacks on the human rights system are caused in part by its effectiveness—because by drawing attention to abuses and elevating the voices of survivors and those in danger, the human rights movement makes it more difficult for oppressive governments to maintain power—comes with another year of dwindling real and virtual civic space around the globe.

 

After 30 years of continuous operation, the Human Rights Watch office in Moscow was abruptly closed down in 2022, six weeks into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, along with the offices of more than a dozen other foreign nongovernmental groups. The closures came after the Russian government passed draconian legislation and policies over a ten-year period to destroy civil society and drive hundreds of activists, journalists, human rights attorneys, and other critics into exile. Because dissent is a threat to the Kremlin, it has gone to considerable lengths to quell it. Therein lies a fundamental truth: those who try tirelessly to suppress human rights expose their frailty, not their power. The most serious problems we face, like climate change, can be seen through the prism of human rights again and time again. 

 

Every region of the planet, from Pakistan to Nigeria to Australia, will experience a practically constant cycle of catastrophic weather events that will worsen due to climate change, combined with gradual changes like sea level rise. In layman's words, we are witnessing the price of inaction on the part of the government, the continuing onslaught by major polluters, and the toll on communities, with those who are already marginalized suffering the most. The UN General Assembly acknowledged the inherent bond between humans and nature when it reaffirmed the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment last year. There is a moral and legal requirement for government officials to control the businesses whose business models are incompatible with defending fundamental rights as the harmful impacts of climate change worsen around the world.

 

Governments must strive quickly to establish a just transition to phase out fossil fuels and stop agribusiness from continuing to clear the world's forests in order to avert the worst effects of climate change and confront the cost to human rights at every stage of their operations. While simultaneously protecting those populations most at risk, such as Indigenous peoples, women, children, older people, people with disabilities, and those living in poverty, governments should act swiftly to uphold human rights in their responses to climate extremes and slow-onset changes that are already inevitable. Many of these communities are also taking the lead in the fight to save their homes and ways of life from coal, oil, and gas operations that contaminate the water they use for drinking, cooking, and cleaning and cause the oceans to rise and overrun the lands where they live. 

 

One of the most effective ways to oppose corporate and governmental actions that hurt the environment and safeguard crucial ecosystems needed to address the climate catastrophe is to put frontline communities and environmental defenders at the center of the conversation. Indigenous forest protectors are essential to preserving the Brazilian Amazon, an ecosystem that is essential for reducing global warming by sequestering carbon. The Jair Bolsonaro administration, which was in power at the time, undermined Indigenous rights protections rather than promoting them. During his four-year administration, there was spectacular environmental destruction along with human rights breaches, including violence and intimidation against those who attempted to halt it. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil's freshly elected president, has vowed to protect Indigenous rights and prevent deforestation in the Amazon. 

 

Deforestation significantly decreased during his previous two administrations, from 2003 to 2010, but his administration still supported dams and other infrastructure initiatives with significant negative environmental and social effects in the Amazon. Brazil and the rest of the world depend on President Lula being able to keep his promises about the environment and human rights.

 

A new framework and new paradigm for action are urgently needed given the size, scope, and frequency of human rights crises around the world. Through a human rights lens, we can identify the core causes of our greatest problems and threats to the modern world while also providing direction for how to solve them. Each and every government has a responsibility to safeguard and advance respect for human rights. The world's mobilization around Ukraine serves as a reminder of the extraordinary potential that arises when governments take their obligations to protect human rights on a global scale after years of piecemeal and frequently ineffective efforts on behalf of civilians in danger in places like Yemen, Afghanistan, and South Sudan. All governments should respond to the many human rights crises occurring around the world with the same spirit of solidarity, not just when it benefits them.