Today I had the honour to deputise for the Honorary Consul of Romania in Wales by representing the Romanian community at the event when Swansea was declared Wales’ First Human Rights City. It was a proud moment for Swansea to declare this prestigious status. It was also important for the Romanian community to be present, among other key organisations and communities, at this event.
First Minister, Mark Drakeford, and His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of West Glamorgan, Mrs Louise Fleet, joined Swansea Council leaders and senior representatives. His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant, who sent a Christmas message to the Romanian community last year, honoured our attendance at this event today with a picture next to the Declaration. Also, in my brief discussion with the First Minister after participating in the event, he acknowledged the Romanian community as a ‘growing community’ in Wales.
Human Rights Cities are cities where local government, local parliament, civil society, private sector and other stakeholders have adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights principles as guiding governance norms. In 2017 York declared itself Britain’s first City of Human Rights among more than 30 other Human Rights Cities around the world, including Graz and Vienna in Austria, Seattle in the US and Edmonton in Canada and today in Wales, Swansea became Wales’ first designated Human Rights City.
As a community, we are proud to be a part of Swansea’s move into becoming a Human Rights City, a vision of vibrant, diverse, fair and safe communities. My thanks are going towards Diana Stroia, Honorary Consul of Romania in Wales, who trusted me to deputise at today’s event for her.
