The passing of Johan Galtung, the peace scholar who articulated the concept of “positive peace” as incorporating equality, non-discrimination, and termination of structural violence marks the urgency of the international community to repair what Agnes Callamard described as an international system “rooted more in systemic inequality and discrimination than in universality.”[1] Citing the many examples of atrocity crimes in the twentieth century, culminating in Israel and Gaza at present, she called for accountability to counter the rampant impunity by state and non-state actors. However, a more pressing challenge is whether it is possible to complement accountability measures with strategies to pursue positive peace and solidarity. It is notable that the UN Declaration on the Right to Peace Art. 2 sets forth the responsibility of states to guarantee equality and non-discrimination as a means to build peace within and between societies[2]. The former High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet invoked the role of civil society espousing solidarity as a means for attaining equality: “Equality is about empathy and solidarity and about understanding that, as a common humanity, our only way forward is to work together for the common good.”[3] 

The staggering levels of inequality around the world are fomenting violence and instability, in direct contradiction of the UN Charter’s affirmation of the aim of “the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.”[4] Human Rights has suffered from a myopic era in which there was neglect and underfinancing programs focused on securing equality for all and the corollary of the need to recognize and implement collective rights and duties. Creative new approaches that aim to correct the imbalance in policy and practice should be based on human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 1 (2) articulates a duty of care as an element of being human: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” One may reflect that the lack of dissemination of a universal duty of care correlates with the resounding failure of modern governments and societies to end practices that marginalize and exclude others from the enjoyment of human rights.

It may be suggested that the first step to countering the trend towards world disorder would require a collective pivot towards recognition of common obligations of care towards all others within a nation and externally through programs promoting positive peace and international solidarity.  All governments and civil society actors should galvanize support for bringing to an end all forms of apartheid and systemic exclusionary structures to enable the fair participation of all people (irrespective of sex, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, language economic class, age, etc.) in education, work, and civic life. The Revised Draft Declaration on Human Rights and International Solidarity Article 9 (c ) calls for States to act in solidarity with civil society by “Building the full, equal and meaningful political participation of all people in national, regional and global decision-making positions”.[5]  We may envision the international community embarking upon a type of global social contract based on allegiance to the universality of the principles of positive peace and international solidarity, reversing the trend of inequality, polarization, fragmentation, and violence that has enveloped our world.

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[1] Agnes Callamard, Gaza and the End of the Rules Based Order: What the Israel-Hamas War means for Human Rights and International Law, Foreign Affairs (February 15, 2024).

[2] Declaration on the Right to Peace, adopted by the UN General Assembly A/RES/71/189 (2 February 2017),

[3] Equality is at the heart of human rights | OHCHR

[4] Inequality Inc. | Oxfam (oxfamamerica.org)

[5] reviseddraftdeclarationrightInternationalsolidarity.pdf (ohchr.org)