The Permanent Representative of Greece, Ambassador Panayotis Stournaras, delivers a Joint Statement on behalf of 75 countries during the Quadrennial panel discussion on promoting human rights through

Thank you Madame Chair.

I deliver this statement on behalf of 75 countries.

Only a few weeks before the celebration of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, the world is gearing up for its recovery. The Olympic Games have always been the most important global sporting event every four years-‘the springtime of humanity’ as Pierre de Coubertin once qualified it. This year more than ever we are looking forward to getting truly inspired by the message the Olympic Games bear in their essence.

The last year and a half has been extremely challenging both in terms of physical and mental health for millions of people around the globe. With regard to human rights, the COVID-19 pandemic raced across pre-existing fault lines and widened human rights gaps, as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has highlighted in her 2020 Human Rights Report. Now is the time to heal and solidify our human rights foundations.

Therefore, we are called upon to build forward better, bearing in mind that we are stronger together. In this respect Sport -- and the Olympic Games in particular -- can serve as a model example, where people, nations, athletes and teams take part without discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, birth or other status. The Olympic Ideal shows that major sporting events can raise awareness and promote a better understanding of human rights throughout the lifecycle of the event, in particular for young persons around the world.

The 29 athletes of the Tokyo 2020 Refugee Team are just an example of “what is possible when refugees are given the opportunity to make most of their potential,” as has stressed UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, and it gives a hopeful glimpse of how the world can be when human rights are protected and upheld by all.

I thank you.

List of co-signatorie

1.    Albania
2.    Andorra
3.    Argentina
4.    Armenia
5.    Australia
6.    Austria
7.    Bahamas
8.    Bahrain
9.    Barbados
10.    Belgium
11.    Brazil
12.    Bulgaria
13.    Chile
14.    China
15.    Colombia
16.    Congo (Republic of the)
17.    Costa Rica
18.    Croatia
19.    Cuba
20.    Cyprus
21.    Ecuador
22.    Egypt
23.    El Salvador
24.    Fiji
25.    France
26.    Germany
27.    Greece
28.    Guatemala
29.    Haiti
30.    Hungary
31.    Indonesia
32.    Iraq
33.    Ireland
34.    Israel
35.    Italy
36.    Jamaica
37.    Japan
38.    Kuwait (as member of the Gulf Cooperation Council)
39.    Lebanon
40.    Liechtenstein
41.    Malta
42.    Mexico
43.    Monaco
44.    Montenegro
45.    Morocco
46.    Nepal
47.    North Macedonia
48.    Oman (as member of the Gulf Cooperation Council)
49.    Panama
50.    Paraguay
51.    Poland
52.    Portugal
53.    Qatar
54.    Republic of Korea
55.    Republic of Moldova
56.    Romania
57.    Russian Federation
58.    Saudi Arabia (as member of the Gulf Cooperation Council)
59.    Senegal
60.    Serbia
61.    Singapore
62.    Slovakia
63.    Slovenia
64.    Spain
65.    Sri Lanka
66.    Switzerland
67.    Thailand
68.    Togo
69.    Turkmenistan
70.    Ukraine
71.    United Arab Emirates
72.    United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
73.    United States of America
74.    Uruguay
75.    Uzbekistan