UN Human Rights 75 Youth Advisors: No Future for Human Rights Without Justice in Palestine

We are members of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights 75 Youth Advisory Group, a body of youth human rights defenders from around the world selected by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to “ensure that young people have a voice in the development of human rights commitments for the future.”

As we prepare to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza, we cannot help but wonder: what does the future of human rights look like for the children, youth, and people of Gaza?

Since October 7, more than 15,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, including more than 6,150 children, wiping out entire families. We must stress that nearly half of the besieged population of Gaza are children. This means that around a million children are actively being denied access to food, water, medicine, electricity, fuel, and access to a safe and violence-free environment where their rights can be guaranteed and protected.

This is our urgent appeal: there will be no future for human rights without a permanent ceasefire and lasting peace and justice in Palestine.

There will be no future for human rights if Israel continues to illegally target civilians and protected objects, including hospitals, schools, housing units, and places of worship, making Gaza “hell on Earth” today. While life under occupation and blockade has already made it difficult for people in Gaza to enjoy their human rights, the conflict has made it downright impossible.

There will be no future for human rights if States and international institutions fail to stop and exact accountability for the most serious international crimes, including hostage-taking and the detention of children, and ensure respect for international human rights and humanitarian law in Palestine. How can our “rules-based international order” work when powerful states routinely commit the gravest violations of international law with impunity?

There will be no future for human rights if we do not put an end to Israel’s apartheid policies and illegal occupation, blockade, and settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the West Bank, that did not just start on October 7, but since Resolution 181 was voted in the United Nations 75 years ago deciding to divide the Palestinian territory without Palestinian voices. The people of Palestine, like anyone else, must enjoy the right to live freely and equally with others regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or faith.

Following World War 2, “disregard and contempt for human rights [that] have resulted in barbarous acts” did not just “[outrage] the conscience of [hu]mankind.” It spurred the world into action, resulting in the adoption of the UDHR in the same year of the first Nakba.

This is the critical juncture for human rights of our time. We are seeing a second Nakba unfold before our eyes. Time has run out for the international community to prevent the massive loss of civilian lives in Palestine. Now time is also running out for the world to stand up and collectively put an end to impunity for mass atrocities and ensure the safe and immediate release of all hostages and children in detention, so we must act now.

We echo similar calls by other youth bodies, including members of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Young Leaders and European Union Youth Sounding Board for International Partnerships, for the “courageous leadership” of international and regional institutions for just peace in Palestine.

Silence breeds complicity. Support for the states that have collectively attempted to cover up and finance this genocide breeds complicity. As young human rights defenders, we call on our fellow citizens, especially young people, to continue raising awareness of the situation in Palestine and demanding their governments to call for a permanent ceasefire now.

The opinions expressed here do not represent the views of the UN OHCHR. This is a joint statement by members of the UN Human Rights 75 Youth Advisory Group.

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