“Think globally, act locally” is a phrase that slips easily off the tongue these days, especially in leadership seminars. Yet when it comes to international human rights, it points to a vital truth. Now more than ever, we must defend the realisation of human rights on a global scale—without losing sight of the injustices in our own backyard.
South Africa has shown commitment to this broader vision. One thinks immediately of its case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning allegations of genocide in the Gaza Strip. Our government has also pushed for reform of the UN Security Council to make it more effective and representative. In his address to the 80th UN General Assembly in September, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged world leaders to favour dialogue and negotiation over war. He underscored the importance of the World Trade Organisation as a forum for resolving disputes.
Yet this commitment to human rights is not shared everywhere. The Human Rights Watch report in January highlighted the inaction of many world leaders in the face of ongoing conflicts. In July, the ICJ called for greater accountability from states failing to meet their climate-change obligations, while Amnesty International’s annual report lamented the failure of COP 29 to reach a meaningful consensus on the climate crisis.
If South Africa’s global advocacy deserves praise, its local record demands equal attention. We must be as resolute in defending the rights of all who live within our borders. Cardinal Brislin recently condemned the denial of health and education services to foreigners, calling it “deeply abhorrent.” Access to clean water and sanitation should not be a privilege reserved for the wealthy but a right enjoyed by everyone. Our Constitution’s socio-economic provisions call for progressive realisation of access to health care, food and social security—yet economic transformation proceeds at a painfully slow pace, and corruption continues to divert resources meant for the public good.
Pope Francis, in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, speaks of “social friendship”: the radical conviction that no nation can flourish in isolation. We are part of one human family. To uphold that truth, we must link our global commitments to local action—ensuring that what we do here contributes to justice, dignity and hope everywhere.
