Climate Change, Human Rights, Migration Peace and equality for all requires international solidarity

With the 15th anniversary of The Elders being marked in July, PWH Professor of Practice of Law and Human Rights and Elders member Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein reflects on the need for climate justice, support for migrants and refugees, and more.

Dear friends,

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that every human being is born free and equal. Yet too many people around the world today continue to face inequality and injustice.

One group particularly at risk of discrimination and violence is refugees. In marking World Refugee Day on 20 June, I joined my fellow Elders Ban Ki-moon and Hina Jilani in calling on governments around the world to uphold the universal right to seek safety, and ensure that all people fleeing violence and persecution receive protection, not hostility.

The remarkable global support for people fleeing Ukraine has shown what is possible when the international community has the political will to act. The EU has rightly given Ukrainians immediate temporary protection and the right to live, work and travel to any Member State for up to three years. But solidarity must never be selective: rich nations should broaden this integration approach to all refugees wherever they are from, including other conflict-riven countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, and Myanmar.

Read more on The Elders website >>