Jean Asselborn was in Geneva on Monday as Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg, to participate in the High Level Segment of the 31st Session of the Human Rights Council.
Speaking at the Palais des Nations, Minister Asselborn stated that "every individual enjoys universal, indivisible and inalienable rights and it is for each State to respect them and enforce them", whilst addressing the fight against poverty as a continued priority for Luxembourg and pointing to the importance of the Agenda 2030. Highlighting the fight against discrimination, the Minister condemned "forgetting and leaving the most vulnerable: women and children are the main victims of conflicts."
The speech also presented an opportunity to take stock of the major challenges facings the world in the field of human rights, including terrorism and the fate of refugees as regards poverty, inequality, corruption, political repression and socio-economic exclusion.
Speaking on the situation of the Palestinian people, Minister Asselborn emphasised the "urgency of seeing the birth of a viable Palestinian State living in peace and security alongside the State of Israel". According to the Foreign and European Affairs Minister, "the time is not for unilateral acts which feed a sense of mutual mistrust", explaining how he saw first-hand how "life for 1.8 million children and adults, men and women, is untenable" as they remain "locked up, humiliated, without hope or prospect" in the "largest prison on earth with sea views".
To conclude, Minister Asselborn presented an overview of the different regions facing particular challenges in the field of human rights, including Burundi, Myanmar, Iran and North Korea.
Photo by MAEE (Jean Asselborn)
