Human Solidarity Day: Trampling on human rights, poverty, hatred, destroyed health care, education and environment!

International Human Solidarity Day, which the United Nations dedicates for respecting diversity, human rights, eradicating poverty, hunger and diseases, protecting the planet and ensuring a dignified life for all, in Macedonia is welcomed with daily violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms, with immense hatred and non-solidarity among citizens of different ethnic, religious and other groups, with a third of the population living below the poverty threshold, with an environment that is being destroyed every day and mercilessly, with a degraded education system that is at the bottom of the world ranking lists, and with a health care system that instead of saving lives costs lives, is stated in the announcement of CIVIL – Center for Freedom.

As UN announcement states on the occasion of International Human Solidarity Day, this day should be a day to celebrate our unity in diversity. A day when we remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements. A day when we need to raise awareness on the importance of solidarity. A day to encourage debate on how new initiatives can be promoted for building solidarity and eradicating poverty.

Unfortunately, CIVIL – Center for Freedom has noted that all these values are being brutally trampled on in our country. Macedonia for many years has been a hostage of a social, economic and political crisis produced by criminalized political structures, who have captivated the institutions and the entire society. Those structures offer divisions instead of inclusiveness, they offer hatred instead of solidarity, they are producing inequality and poverty instead of prosperity, and instead of respect and protection, they foster a culture of impunity and violations of human rights and freedoms.

We use this opportunity to raise our voice once more and to loudly remind the institutions of Republic of Macedonia and all relevant political actors who have a crucial influence on the developments in our society, that our state, like other countries – members of the United Nations, has accepted the Sustainable Development Goals, which is a new inclusive development agenda that builds on the Millennium Development Goals, whose goal is to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure a dignified life for all. The new agenda is focused on the people and the planet, based on human rights and supported by the Global Partnership, committed to pulling people out of poverty, hunger and diseases. As this year’s announcements of the United Nations states, this agenda will be built based on global cooperation and solidarity. We remind that even though Macedonia is a signatory to these international documents, that except for the formal participation in UN projects that is not being reflected substantially in the work of our institutions, the government in Macedonia has done almost nothing to implement these goals!

Therefore, let’s stop with divisions, hatred, disrespect of righst and freedoms, destruction of the environment and society as a whole! The institutions of the country, but primarily the political parties as well, need to focus on producing solutions, and not crisis! And the path to overcoming this situation leads through dialogue, mutual respect and solidarity. The citizens of Republic of Macedonia deserve this and nothing less!