OHCHR: High Commissioner Urges to Place Human Rights at the Center in Argentina

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, put Javier Milei’s policy making into evidence during the presentation of his global update to the 56th session of the Human Rights Council.

In Argentina, “recent proposed and adopted measures risk undermining human rights protection. These include cuts to public spending particularly affecting the most marginalised, the announced closure of State institutions dedicated to women’s rights and access to justice”

Türk makes reference to the policies enacted to dismantle social institutions of the Argentinian State, ordered by President Javier Milei, and covered by the “Law of Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentinians” approved on June 12, 2024 by Congress that grants the first mandatory extraordinary powers.

In his first 6 months in office, Milei has followed a policy of zero deficit that strives to improve the economic situation of the country by guiding public funds to guarantee that the State has more income than expenses. To achieve his goal of zero deficit Milei carried out what he defined as "a fiscal adjustment unprecedented in the history of humanity."

Just two days after taking office, he announced strong public expenditure cutback measures that included: the reduction by half of ministries and secretariats, the reduction of public employees with less than a year of seniority, the suspension of public works for one year and reducing energy and transportation subsidies. The measures had very serious consequences for many Argentinians that were witnesses to 25,000 layoffs in the State -Milei has already warned that he will fire 50,000 more civil servants-, in a country where public work has become the main driver of employment in recent years.

The High Commissioner urged the authorities to “place human rights at the center of their policy making”, to build a more cohesive and inclusive society with full respect for the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

In several of his public appearances, Milei has denied the existence of gender ideology and the gender pay gap, and declared himself against abortion. Immediately upon taking office the first mandatory abolished the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, transforming it into an undersecretariat for Protection against Gender Violence and converted the Women's Hall of the Casa Rosada into the "Hall of the Próceres", which honors a group of political leaders, all men. The government also closed the National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (Inadi) and prohibited the use of "inclusive language" and any reference to the gender perspective in official documents.

The president has also had strong clashes with the opposing press. In an interview with BBC, Milei argued that “probably the place in the world where journalism is most rotten is in Argentina, where a large part of the journalists are liars and receive bribes”. Within the package of legislative proposals, it is planned to close or privatize the entire state media system, including Public Television and National Radio.

The High Commissioner's comments on Argentina have come at a time when in the international realm, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given instructions to public officials to suspend participation in all events abroad related to the 2030 Agenda.

What can be expected for the future is for Argentina’s reins to remain firmly in Milei’s hands as the passed Law of Bases started the period of delegated powers, estimated for a year, where the president may legislate through decrees without going through Congress.

This law project grants him powers that normally correspond to the Legislative Branch in administrative, economic, financial and energy matters.

Last update

15/7/2024