SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES PARLIAMENTARIANS TO DO MORE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND SUSTAINABLE WATER CONSUMPTION
Press Release
SG/SM/6690
SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES PARLIAMENTARIANS TO DO MORE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND SUSTAINABLE WATER CONSUMPTION
19980904 ADVANCE TEXTThe following is the text of a message from Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the one-hundredth Inter-Parliamentary Conference meeting in Moscow from 7 to 11 September, to be delivered on his behalf by Vladimir Petrovsky, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (embargoed until 8.30 a.m. GMT, 7 September):
It gives me great pleasure to greet the parliamentarians from all over the world who have gathered in Moscow for this important conference. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is a good friend and ally of the United Nations, and I am pleased that our ties continue to grow closer, nurtured along by the signing of a cooperation agreement two years ago.
I would also like to express sincere gratitude to the President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin, and to the people of the Russian Federation for hosting this event, which promotes dialogue and harmonious relations among peoples and nations.
And I want to convey a special greeting to the leadership of the IPU -- Anders Johnsson, its newly elected Secretary-General, and Miguel Martinez, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council -- and wish them the best for success in all their efforts.
Your agenda, as usual, is comprehensive. I am especially pleased, during this year in which we commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that you recognize the need for strong action by national parliaments in this regard.
Human rights are the touchstone for all our work at the United Nations. They belong to every individual, and are not a subsidy to be granted or taken away by Governments or any other power. Human rights are universal, foreign to no culture and native to all nations.
Human rights are indivisible. One can not pick and choose among them, ignoring some while insisting on others. Whether civil or economic; cultural, social or political; human rights are interdependent. Progress in one area generates progress in another; violations in one are a setback for all.
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And as this century's bloody history has taught us, the absence of human rights and tolerance is more than a denial of human dignity; it is also the root of the suffering and hatred that breed political violence and inhibit economic development.
We have seen impressive gains in half a century, including an expanding body of laws and a growing global consciousness about the centrality of human rights. Let us now resolve to do better where we have failed or fallen short, and bring human rights more fully to life on the ground, in people's daily lives.
Your decision to focus on the issue of water is also especially timely. The fragile and finite water resources upon which human life depends are under increasing stress, and almost no country is spared the threat. Over the next 30 years, more than 60 per cent of the world's population will face water-related problems. Demand, particularly in developing countries, is one main problem. For the first time, the population is growing faster than are areas being brought under irrigation for agriculture. Other serious problems include inadequate water management practices and financial constraints. Measures such as the construction and maintenance of reservoirs and other water-related infrastructure are expensive.
The United Nations system has long been an advocate of sustainable water management practices and water resource protection. Its development projects, focusing on simple solutions, low-cost technologies and community participation, have helped millions of people gain access to safe drinking water and sanitation services. But, as with human rights, we must do more. There is an enormous unfinished agenda. Parliamentarians thus carry tremendous reponsibilities, in these and other areas. More than anyone else, you must give voice to your peoples' struggles and aspirations. As such you are key agents of democracy and democratization. Given the worldwide trend towards democratization, that role is more pivotal than ever. Parliamentarians must also ensure that the concerns of the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable are kept at the forefront of national debate. In this you provide an institutional bridge between the state and civil society. Since most of today's major problems -- from environmental degradation to drug-trafficking -- are "problems without passports", with an international dimension, you are also an influential link between the state and the international community.
In short, if today's global agenda is to be properly addressed, parliamentarians must be among the actors and partners who come together in common cause at the United Nations. I look forward to our continued cooperation as we approach the new millennium, as we seek to broaden awareness of the United Nations among parliamentarians and as we try, together, to find ways to address the ever-more complex challenges of a new globalized era. In that spirit, I wish you the best for a successful conference.
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