In her keynote essay, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Tirana Hassan writes, “When rights are protected, humanity flourishes. When they are denied, the cost is measured not in abstract principles but in human lives. This is the challenge, and the opportunity, of our time.”
The past year was marked by armed conflicts and humanitarian crises that exposed the fraying of international protections for civilians and the devastating human cost when these protections are flouted. We saw horrific instances of international inaction and complicity in abuses that further human suffering, most notably in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and Haiti.
The year also highlighted an often-disregarded reality: Liberal democracies are not always reliable champions of human rights at home or abroad.
Yet in some countries, like Bangladesh and South Korea, there were glimmers of democratic resilience, Hassan said, as voters rejected populist agendas and held leaders and their parties accountable.
Around the world, there are reminders that the fight for rights is very much alive. Now is the time for governments to heed the call and defend universal human rights.
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