Today, December 20 is International Human Solidarity Day – a day proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly out of leaders’ awareness that in a globalised world of growing inequality, the strengthening of international solidarity and cooperation is indispensable for inclusive, sustainable development.
International Human Solidarity Day serves to remind us about the importance of solidarity for the achievement of internationally-agreed agreements, including programmes of action of international conferences and multilateral accords. Only the international community, guided by the spirit of human solidarity and a shared sense of justice and fairness, can ensure sustainable social and economic development for all.
As the United Nations quoted in its precis on International Human Solidarity Day: “By simply being born into this world, we are of one inheritance and one stock with every other human being. This oneness expresses itself in all the richness and diversity of the human family: in different races, cultures, languages and histories. And we are called to recognise the basic solidarity of the human family as the fundamental condition of our life together on this earth (Pope John Paul II, “Development and Solidarity: Two Keys to Peace”).
The concept of solidarity has defined the work of the United Nations since the birth of the organisation. The creation of the United Nations drew the peoples and nations of the world together to promote peace, human rights and social and economic development. The organisation was founded on the basic premise of unity and harmony among its Members expressed in the concept of collective security that relies on the solidarity of its Members to unite “to maintain international peace and security”. It is in the spirit of solidarity that the organisation relies on “cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character” as well (Charter of the United Nations).
Solidarity, as a central pillar of international cooperation, acquires new meaning in the face of globalisation and growing interdependence. In particular, a globalising world offers new opportunities to forge innovative alliances that can unleash the potential for broader and faster economic and social development. Among the more important aspects of solidarity at the international level are assistance, development aid and cooperation.
“For the global community aid represents a mechanism for expressing human solidarity and for extending opportunity. Whether motivated by human rights, religious values or wider ethical systems, aid’s role in eliminating mass poverty, hunger and avoidable child deaths is a moral imperative” (Human Development Report, 2005).
Since the concept of solidarity relates to the notion of cooperation, common rights and responsibilities as well as unity for the achievement of a common goal, it can be applied in many different spheres of human endeavour. Just as solidarity among workers unites them in their fight for better working conditions, it can also unite the global community in the fight against global threats, such as terrorism or the HIV/AIDS pandemic, or in underscoring its obligation to help the victims of natural and man-made disasters.
The successful campaign to ban landmines, for example, owed much of its success to the solidarity among all those who opposed the use of landmines, including Governments, civil society organisations and individuals. In the face of the global threat of the AIDS pandemic, the spirit of solidarity created conditions which made antiretroviral drugs cheaper and more available to the poor. In the immediate aftermath of the Indian tsunami, the international community undertook an immense relief effort that demonstrated how much can be achieved through global solidarity. It is also apparent that solidarity is increasingly indispensable in the fight against environmental degradation and poverty.
In the area of human rights, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights identifies an increased and sustained effort of international cooperation and solidarity as necessary for the achievement of substantial progress in human rights. Moreover, the international community has often affirmed its “human solidarity with victims of violations of international law, including violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as well as with humanity at large” (Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/35). Resolutions on human rights underlined “the importance of mainstreaming the values of non-discrimination, equality, human dignity and human solidarity in the United Nations system” ((Commission on Human Rights resolution 2005/65).
Like former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said some years after humanity, for the first time, collectively set for itself a series of development goals for the new millennium: “In our interconnected world, the human family cannot enjoy security without development, cannot enjoy development without security, and cannot enjoy either without respect for human rights . . . to act on that understanding, we need a strong United Nations, and true solidarity among Governments and peoples working together to fulfil those goals.”
