#AHRI2026 : Human rights are indivisible. Protecting them is a shared responsibility
Speech by State Councillor Nathalie Fontanet at the 2026 Annual Conference of the Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI), Maison de la paix, Geneva
4 November 2026
"Ladies and Gentlemen,
Distinguished guests,
It is a great pleasure and a privilege, on behalf of the canton of Geneva, to welcome you in our city for this year’s Annual Conference of the Association of Human Rights Institutes.
Let me extend a particularly warm welcome to all the participants who have travelled from around the world to join us. I am especially pleased to acknowledge the presence of the Presidents of the two Covenant Committees, the President of the Human Rights Council, and the representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
We are honoured that this annual conference is being held in Geneva for the first time.
It is a privilege to host a gathering that brings together leading academics, experts and representatives from institutions working across the world to promote and protect human rights.
The support we provided for the organisation of this conference reflects our strong commitment to International Geneva and to the remarkable work carried out by the human rights community here.
Geneva is, in many ways, a natural home for this conference.
Our canton has a unique place within the international human rights system. It is home to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Human Rights Council and the treaty bodies.
Every year, Geneva welcomes the two Committees whose anniversaries we are celebrating today.
This makes the double anniversary at the heart of this conference particularly meaningful for us.
Sixty years ago, in 1966, the international community adopted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Twenty years ago, in 2006, the United Nations Human Rights Council was established.
These two milestones belong to different moments in the history of the United Nations, but they are deeply connected.
The two Covenants gave concrete expression to the universal nature of human rights and established legally binding commitments for States. The Human Rights Council has since become a central forum for dialogue, and cooperation on human rights at the international level.
Together, they are fundamental pillars of the international human rights protection architecture. And a significant part of the implementation, monitoring and discussion of this architecture takes place here, in Geneva.
This is something we should be proud of — but it is also a responsibility.
Because the international system that has been built over decades cannot be taken for granted.
Today, multilateralism is facing significant challenges. The United Nations itself is confronted with serious financial constraints. These difficulties affect institutions and organisations across the multilateral system, including those working to promote and protect human rights.
But the challenges we face are not only financial. They are also challenges to the universal values that underpin multilateral cooperation — values such as human dignity, equality, freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
At a time when these values are increasingly under pressure in different parts of the world, reaffirming our commitment to universal human rights is more important than ever.
And this is precisely why gatherings such as this conference matter.
They provide a space to take stock of what has been achieved, to examine what remains to be done, and to reflect critically on how the international human rights system can continue to respond to the challenges of our time.
This is also why the Canton of Geneva will continue to support our partners, meaning organisations based here that work every day to promote, respect and protect human rights.
Through our support to these organisations, and to initiatives such as this conference, the Canton seeks to contribute to strengthening the international human rights community and to preserving Geneva’s role as a leading centre for human rights and multilateral cooperation.
I wish to seize this opportunity to highlight the essential contribution of Geneva’s academic community.
Institutions such as the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights play a unique role in bringing together academic research, expertise and international institutions.
They help ensure that reflection on international norms is grounded in rigorous research, while at the same time making academic knowledge relevant to those who work to implement human rights in practice.
This dialogue between research, institutions and practitioners is more important than ever.
So, as we commemorate these two important anniversaries, I hope that this conference will be an opportunity not only to look back, but also to look ahead.
What should the next decades of international human rights protection look like? How can we strengthen the institutions and mechanisms that have been built over the past decades?
And, perhaps most importantly, how can we ensure that the universal principles enshrined in the Covenants continue to make a tangible difference in people's lives?
These are not easy questions. But Geneva is precisely the place where such questions should be discussed — openly, critically and collectively.
I wish you all very fruitful discussions, inspiring exchanges and a successful conference.
And, of course, I hope that you will also have the opportunity to enjoy Geneva and all that our city has to offer.
Thank you very much for your attention."
Only the spoken text shall prevail