ABSTRACT
Human rights have always taken important steps forward in the protection of the individual following deep crisis that has illuminated gross violations of the dignity of persons. The COVID-19 pandemic has all the elements for being such a historically defining moment. The pandemic with its massive impact on the most vulnerable people in all continents offers the opportunity to end the long journey leading to a full recognition of all rights, political, economic, social, civil, and cultural rights not only in words but also in deeds. Applying human rights in an interconnected and interrelated manner, human rights will contribute to addressing the inequality that has been dramatically accentuated during the pandemic. To roll it back, inequality needs to be addressed in all its complexities embracing economy, status, and the inequality of attention. In order to ‘build back better’ these dimensions will be part of what the UN Secretary General calls for in the ‘new social contract’. Human rights bodies from the very local level to the national, regional, and international should all be actively involved in a stronger joined up manner.
