By Janet Ekstract
WASHINGTON (GOLDENHORN AGENCY)- On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released the 46th Human Rights Report. At a press conference at the White House, Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Lisa Peterson who heads the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) said the report, known as the 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, acts as a benchmark to give factual information on human rights issues worldwide. A major obstacle to preserving democracy across the globe Peterson said is the plethora of “disinformation, misinformation and outright lies” that she said play a role in threatening and undermining democracy. Analysts and experts have noted that this is especially relevant now, when so many nations are being threatened with the specter of authoritarianism in the political arena.
Peterson explained that the annual Human Rights Report is part of an ongoing effort to emphasize the level of importance the U.S. puts on achieving goals in this area. She commented that the purpose of the report is not to detail every human rights related incident and it does not decide legal conclusions, rank countries or make comparisons on human rights violations. It’s also not an effort by the U.S. government to judge other countries on their human rights record, she added. Rather, Peterson pointed out, the report’s purpose is to report facts. As Peterson explained: “It is only when we’re armed with the truth that the United States can most effectively use our voice and our influence to call attention to violations and abuses of human rights worldwide and press the perpetrators of these violations and abuses to change course and end their egregious conduct.”
She mentioned that a crucial goal for Biden-Harris administration is the commitment to “global leadership on human rights.” The major priority, Peterson pointed out is in “strengthening our democracy” in America while guaranteeing “fundamental freedoms and human rights of all people” are protected and advanced on a global scale. She explained that America loses its credibility abroad when it doesn’t maintain an active advocacy for human rights in its own country. Peterson made it a point to say that the U.S. is not out to “claim a moral high ground” but highlighted that the U.S. Constitution commits “to form a more perfect union,” giving America the responsibility to “address the many human rights challenges” in the U.S.
To that end, The Summit for Democracy convened for the first time in December 2021 in an effort to examine old and new challenges to democracy around the world. Peterson said the summit was an opportunity for President Biden to bring a multitude of world leaders together as well as civil society and private sector representatives “in a shared commitment” to thwart authoritarianism, combat corruption and advance respect for human rights. Peterson commented that her office is using the momentum of the summit, in a year of action where governments including the U.S., are working to keep commitments in tackling human rights challenges in America and globally by partnering with civil society.
The annual Human Rights Report has been issued for almost 50 years and examines the status of internationally recognized human rights in all countries that are members of the United Nations. Peterson said this report contains 198 reports on individual countries and territories while providing an objective record of how human rights and fundamental freedoms are protected by law and put into practice on a global scale. Information in the reports, she said is sourced from a wide range of governmental, nongovernmental and media sources. Peterson said that this June marks the 45th anniversary of The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. The 2021 Human Rights Report is currently available to the public on the State Department website at www.state.gov.
