2020 was a year of unprecedented crisis. Evident in the way age, gender, income, occupation, and disability are leaving vulnerable individuals and groups disproportionately affected, the COVID-19 pandemic and the policies enforced to contain it, both exacerbate and feed from pervasive inequalities within and among sectors of society. Taken together, it illustrates some of the trends that experts have been warning us: not only that so many could die but that the elderly would die in larger numbers; that certain professions, from doctors to supermarket workers and other frontline workers, were more vulnerable; and that the socioeconomic disparities that plague our country under the best of times would be amplified. To learn from what went right, we must look at what went wrong. More than a health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic is also an economic and social crisis pushing those already suffering even further behind—hitting the vulnerable and marginalized individuals, families. and communities the hardest. It is highlighting deep economic and social inequalities and inadequate health and social protection systems that require urgent attention as part of the public health response. To borrow the words of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet: “This is a test of societies, of governments, of communities and of individuals. How we respond to this crisis now will undoubtedly shape those efforts for decades to come.” Whilst the tragedy is far from over, it is difficult to comprehend its scale, and even harder to anticipate what may come next. But as we all try to find our footing in the post-pandemic world, one thing remains certain: we will need more empowerment, not less. This Report highlights the relevance of our work and how human rights can help shape better policy responses. Respect for basic human rights and dignity and the protection of affected people during a pandemic are key in re-establishing trust between the people and the government. After all, human rights are standards to which we can determine the content as well as the limits of what the people—as rights-holders—can demand but also of what can be demanded from them in terms of obligations, thus providing a legal framework within which the government—as the primary dutybearer—should act are in conformity with international standards. At the same time, the human rights agenda recognizes the fact that not all rights can be realized for all people at once, especially during a pandemic outbreak. As this Annual Report details, a human rights-based approach shifts the focus on the realization of the rights of the excluded and marginalized groups and those whose rights are at risk of being violated, building on the human rights principle of universality as a core principle of good governance. In reflecting and assessing if we are making real progress in the name of justice and human rights, the question that we should be asking is not who is leading, who is at the front, who is progressing; but rather, who is being left behind? CHR 2020 ANNUAL REPORT Page 0