“Upholding all rights of all people is in the interests of everyone. Crucially, we cannot pick and choose which rights; the pursuit of all rights is essential to the attainment of any. It would be a mistake to diminish economic, social and cultural rights, as is often done. But it would be equally misguided to think that those rights are sufficient to answer people’s yearning for freedom. We need a Call to Action that encompasses the full range of rights…

The Universal Declaration and the human rights instruments that followed from it articulate a social contract between all human beings by which everyone can live to their fullest potential. Today we need to renew that bond. While we must continue the quest to attain all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, several areas warrant extra effort, either because the opportunity exists to make significant advances in the realization of human rights, or the needs are so acute and trends so problematic that a greater effort is required. Some of these represent a reaffirmation of ongoing work, while in other areas we must do far more.

This Call to Action sets out some overarching guiding principles and identifies seven such domains: (1) rights at the core of sustainable development; (2) rights in times of crisis; (3) gender equality and equal rights for women; (4) public participation and civic space; (5) rights of future generations, especially climate justice; (6) rights at the heart of collective action; and (7) new frontiers of human rights. In each of these areas, there are specific steps we can take together in the near term to advance the human rights agenda.” (p.2)