The Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Agron Tare, attended the High Level Meeting of the 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) held on 22-24 February 2021, in virtual format.
In his remarks, Deputy Minister Tare praised the very important role that the Council plays in the multilateral system, in the protection and promotion of human rights around the world. He stated that Albania is committed to the development of multilateralism, which is currently more than necessary, considering the difficulties that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought.
Mr. Tare also stated that the protection and the respect of human rights, rule of law and good governance are key priorities of Albania, in accordance with international obligations including the fulfillment of all the standards as part of the European Integration road.
Deputy Minister Tare focused on the Albanian Presidency of the OSCE during 2020, which demonstrated Albania’s willingness to contribute to strengthening peace, stability and prosperity in Europe and beyond. Mr. Tare stressed that this year Albania intends to be elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2022-2023 and that during its membership, Albania will contribute to the preservation of peace, security and the promotion and protection of human rights.
In relation to COVID-19 pandemic, he said that it is one of the biggest global challenges that the United Nations has had to go through in relation to the protection of human rights. The main human rights concerns are: inequality, poverty, challenges caused by the pandemic situation, climate change and environment, etc.
Referring to the theme of this session of the HRC, Mr. Tare said that this year marks an important moment in our efforts to fight racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance, as this year marks the 20th anniversary of Durban Declaration and Action Plan. He underlined that COVID-19 has contributed to the rise of inequalities and systematic discrimination, making us realize how interdependent we are and that the response to these challenges must be shared and based on solidarity.
