Rabat – Amina Bouayach, President of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) and head of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), has warned about the “deepening” crisis facing the international human rights system.
She made her remarks in an opening speech at a high-level meeting on Tuesday in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she called for a renewed global commitment to safeguard rights and strengthen multilateral cooperation amid escalating global challenges.
During her speech, Bouayach said the event comes to strengthen the effectiveness and protection of human rights, acknowledging what she describes as the declining effectiveness of multilateral action and weakened international consensus around fundamental values.
Such challenges threaten the foundations of international cooperation, she said, citing the shrinking civic space, the rise in armed and economic conflicts, and the intensifying impacts of climate change as real-time issues.
Bouayach also recalled the double-edged swords coming with digital spaces and AI systems as they both offer opportunities and risks to human rights.
For her, such tools are emerging issues that increasingly shape the substance and effectiveness of rights and freedoms.
The CNDH President emphasized how such challenges stress the importance of human rights institutions, which derive their strength from their diversity, roles, and shared alliance for a common goal.
She said national human rights institutions are bridges between states and societies, linking across continents, and lawmakers contribute to safeguarding universal rights and freedoms.
“National institutions work to translate international standards into national action while bringing the voices and aspirations of local communities to international forums,” the CNDH chief added.
In her speech, Bouayach recalled her statement delivered in New York on behalf of GANHRI during her meeting with the UN Secretary General, emphasizing the importance of a renewed, stronger, and forward-looking cooperation with the United Nations and human rights institutions.
“Our role is essential in protecting, supporting, and revitalizing the international human rights system,” Bouayach concluded.
The African Network of National Human Rights Institutions nominated Bouayach for the presidency of GANHRI in March, reaffirming the continent’s confidence in the CNDH president’s leadership in the human rights field.
The African network described her as a leader who has stressed critical initiatives.
“She has represented the alliance with distinction and led key operations with a firm commitment to human rights,” NANHRI said in its official statement.
