Human Rights Day

We wish to thank the Chair of this Permanent Council for including this important commemoration on the agenda at the request of a group of States, and also the panelists who join us for their presentations, of which we have taken due note.

This year, the theme of Human Rights Day chosen by the United Nations is “dignity, freedom and justice for all.”

The Universal Declaration and the human rights instruments that flow from it establish a commitment that we States must continually renew, striving to make effective the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of all. It is, moreover, a pillar of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, since it promotes an economy that invests in human rights and benefits all people.

Mr. Chair,

The Dominican Republic recognizes that the purpose of the State is the protection of the rights of persons, and that its action is founded on respect for human dignity, which is sacred, innate and inviolable.

Our State is organized for the real and effective protection of the rights inherent in persons, and we hope that this will be an ideal shared by all in the international community.

Dear colleagues, it could not be otherwise.

Ever since Fray Antón de Montesinos, in the city of Santo Domingo, used the pulpit of the church of the Dominican Order in December 1511 to preach his revolutionary “Advent Sermon,” our society has been infused with a spirit of regard for human beings. There lay the seed of what today drives us to seek the steady expansion of the means that allow all persons to better themselves in an equal, equitable and progressive way, within a framework of individual liberty and social justice, compatible with public order, the general welfare and the rights of all.

This has not been, and is not, free of numerous tests and challenges. Today the defense and protection of human rights has taken on a greater urgency: the pandemic, the global inflationary crisis, armed conflicts, wars of aggression, racism, climate change, corruption and violence against women, among other situations, have increased inequalities and significantly limited progress toward common goals.

It is likewise of great importance to address as a priority the attacks on and intimidation of journalists and human rights defenders; impunity; and persons in historically vulnerable situations, such as older adults, persons with disabilities, people of African descent, and children and adolescents exposed to conditions of poverty and to a lack of access to education, work and health.

As evidence of the Dominican government's commitment to the promotion and defense of human rights, in recent years we have taken actions such as:

• The creation of the Inter-Institutional Commission on Human Rights, for the defense and protection of rights by the State, made up of government institutions, representatives of the branches of government and representatives of organized civil society;
• The drafting and launch of the National Human Rights Plan 2018-2022, with the participation of more than seven hundred (700) civil society organizations.
• Collaboration with the special procedures and mechanisms of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
• The submission of three Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR).
• The implementation of the recommendations monitoring system, SIMORED PLUS, for following up on human rights recommendations.

In addition, to underline and give concrete form to our commitment to multilateralism, and to increase our presence in international bodies in order to strengthen and continue acting in defense of human rights, the Dominican Republic presented its candidacy to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2024-2026 term, convinced that we can play an important role in advancing the values of our region in the defense of the rights contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We likewise value the role of the OAS in keeping attention on the state of human rights in the Hemisphere, shedding light so that violations do not go unnoticed and, when required, demanding truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition. We recognize and value the work of the inter-American human rights system, of the Inter-American Commission of Women and of all the initiatives promoted by the General Secretariat to this end.

Finally, the Dominican government reaffirms its commitment to general and American international law and, in particular, to the American Convention on Human Rights and the other treaties in this field ratified by the country, reaffirming the importance of human rights and the commitment to build, out of solidarity, without discrimination and with equality and equity for all, societies that are free, just and fraternal, where the rule of law, ecological balance and social well-being prevail.

Thank you very much.