Belarus' diplomat: West uses human rights issue to gain advantage in a geostrategic race

The West manipulates the human rights issue to gain advantage in a geostrategic competition, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the United Nations Office at Geneva Larisa Belskaya said at the panel discussion “75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Importance of Compliance with International Obligations” during the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, BelTA has learned. The Belarusian diplomat noted that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights prohibits the violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms and at the same time recognizes the right of states to regulate these rights. The declaration establishes that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person, access to education and full participation in the cultural life of the community.

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

“A lot has changed for the better since that time. The United Nations has developed and adopted more than a dozen major international human rights instruments.

Thirty years ago, the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action established the equal status of all human rights, not only civil and political, but also economic and cultural ones,” said Larisa Belskaya. At the same time, she pointed to a disturbing trend: as the world is becoming more competitive and polycentric, Western countries are getting increasingly focused on preserving and promoting their own vision of the world order and the human rights concept.