The Argentine ambassador to the United Nations, Federico Villegas Beltrán, said on Tuesday that human rights “have been incorporated as part of the democratic identity” of Argentina, highlighting the importance of the election where on Monday he was proclaimed head of the Rights Council. Human Rights of the UN during 2022.
In dialogue with El Uncover Radio, the career diplomat explained that that council is “the main world body” dedicated to human rights, and that among its functions “it accompanies serious situations of violations of human rights in fundamental matters”, where the international community seeks that this situation be reversed.
“For Argentina it is very important to be able to direct it, because we have an enormous track record in the field of human rights, which has been incorporated as part of the democratic identity as a country since the recovery of democracy, built on the basis of a tragic past that we knew how to address and resolve, eradicating the legal obstacles that existed “to end impunity,” said the ambassador.
“This has allowed us to build a new avant-garde human rights agenda, on issues such as inclusion and the fight against discrimination “he added.
Argentina was elected on Monday for the first time in its history to preside over the Human Rights Council of the United Nations (UN) in 2022. The country was elected by acclamation at the organizational session held in Geneva, Switzerland, for the 16th cycle of the Council, made up of 47 nations and which is the world’s governing body on human rights.
Argentina was elected today for the first time in its history to preside over the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2022, @UN_HRC ??
Our country ?? was elected by acclamation at the organizing session held in Geneva, Switzerland. pic.twitter.com/Wtq4FAmt3S
– Argentine Foreign Ministry ?? (@CancilleriaARG) December 6, 2021
Villegas Beltrán, a career lawyer and diplomat who entered the foreign service with honors in 1993 – appointed ambassador to the UN in Switzerland in March 2020 – will preside over that body.
Regarding the challenges of that post, the diplomat said that the first will be “that we begin to see the entire agenda ahead in historical perspective.”
He also mentioned that “each country approaches the issue according to its historical context, but the human rights of all people exist beyond being a national of one state or another” and must be protected.
He also highlighted the great national achievement for this election: “Argentina is identified in the world, in its DNA, with human rights, and I think that is why we had the consensus of the entire region, it was very forceful and it is an honor to represent a country with that leadership”, express.
Finally, he explained that the country has already raised, and will continue to do so, “the issue of vaccines on the human rights agenda.”
“This issue of vaccines has many components” and what some governments – such as Argentina – are looking for is “for organizations to dialogue and lift restrictions so that there is a transfer of technology that allows massively scaling the production of vaccines around the world “, to combat both the coronavirus and other diseases, he stressed.
