SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS CHASM EXISTS BETWEEN STANDARDS SET OUT IN HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION AND SITUATION ON GROUND

Press Release
NGO/305
PI/1078

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS CHASM EXISTS BETWEEN STANDARDS SET OUT IN HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION AND SITUATION ON GROUND

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights had given birth to an extensive body of human rights law, but a chasm remained between the standards set by those laws and the situation on the ground, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this morning during the opening meeting of the fifty-first annual NGO Conference, organized by the Department of Public Information (DPI).

The Secretary-General told representatives of more than 600 non- governmental organizations (NGOs) who had gathered in New York for the three- day Conference that, although the tenets of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had been woven into the fabric of national and international life, governments and institutions alone could not do what needed to be done. Urging NGO representatives to join the United Nations in a partnership which would produce new international milestones, he said that there was no turning back from the human rights and global NGO revolutions under way.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, addressing the Conference in a video-taped message, said human rights were too important to be left to governments and international organizations -- each person had to recognize and protect the rights of others. She said the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration was not a time for celebration, but instead a time to recommit to its principles. It was important to look forward to the next millennium, and to protecting and furthering human rights for all.

In her keynote address, Suzanne Mubarak, First Lady of Egypt, stressed that human rights were linked to peace. It was now more urgent than ever to describe a formula that would allow the world to work towards the goal of universal human rights. It was regrettable that human rights issues had, in many instances, been made into a political weapon; human rights were too important for that.

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Also making a keynote address, Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said continued restriction of women's reproductive freedom led to hundreds of thousands of deaths of women each year during pregnancy or childbirth. The international community must confront such abuses of human rights honestly and forcefully. Also, ceaseless advocacy was needed to alter patterns of behaviour which allowed such abuses to continue.

Didier Opertti (Uruguay), General Assembly President, said the Universal Declaration provided humankind with a set of shared goals. While the Declaration had been born without the legal form of a treaty or convention, it had acquired over time a moral authority and had established a frame of reference to which the international community could defer.

In opening remarks, Kensaku Hogen, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, said the focus of this year's Conference -- "The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: From Words to Deeds" -- allowed participants to examine how the principles of the Declaration had been translated into actions during the past 50 years.

Also addressing the Conference this morning were Elaine Valdov, Chairperson of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee; and Claretta Nesbitt, Chairperson of the NGO/DPI Conference Planning Committee.

The Conference will continue its deliberations at 3 p.m. today.

Conference Work Programme

The fifty-first annual DPI/NGO Conference met this morning to begin its three-day session. The theme of this year's Conference is "The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: From Words to Deeds".

Statements

KENSAKU HOGEN, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, welcomed participants to Headquarters for the fifty-first annual DPI/NGO Conference, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He noted that more non-governmental organizations (NGOs) than ever had registered to attend this year's conference. Human rights was one of the pillars on which the United Nations Charter rested. The Declaration had been the first human rights instrument to be proclaimed by the United Nations, and was one of its major achievements.

Although the Declaration did not have the binding force of a treaty, it had served as the basis of more than 60 human rights covenants and declarations covering the rights of women, children, refugees and migrant workers, among others, he said. The theme of the fiftieth anniversary of that landmark document was "human rights for all". Focusing on the anniversary, and bearing in mind the title of this year's Conference, the Conference would examine how the words in the Declaration had been translated into actions over the last half century.

DIDIER OPERTTI (Uruguay), President of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly, said the protection of human rights had been enshrined in the United Nations Charter before the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; in fact, the Charter had served as a model for the creation of the Declaration. That document was a declaration of fundamental principles aimed at providing a set a shared goals for mankind. The Declaration had been born without the legal form or effects of a treaty or a convention, but over time it had acquired a moral authority and had created a frame of reference to which the international community could defer.

He said that the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights had shown that human freedoms and rights varied on the basis of regions and cultures. The concept of universality was a focal point of discussions, and the negation of the universality of rights could constitute one of the central issues in the human rights debate. Universality without prejudice should guide human rights work in the United Nations. There had been a number of international instruments that protect human rights since the adoption of the Declaration, including the Convention against Torture. The basic point of those instruments was to find a way to harmonize observance and respect for human

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rights with the principles of social order and peace. The participation of NGOs in the adoption of human rights instruments had been crucial and would continue to be important for the protection of human rights.

Secretary-General KOFI ANNAN said that, during his recent visit to South Africa during which he attended the twelfth summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, the principles laid down in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights was in the forefront of people's minds. Many issues raised at the Non- Aligned Movement Summit were linked directly to the ideals and standards set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- ranging from conflict in Central Africa to poverty in the developing world, and the turmoil in global financial markets.

The Declaration had stood the test of time and had taken on greater force, both ethically and juridically, with every passing year, he said. Although it had been adopted by governments, NGOs were equally its authors. Non-governmental organizations had also played a key role in securing language in the Charter which make clear the Organization's fundamental commitment to human rights. A new partnership between the United Nations and NGOs was needed that would support democratic participation in decision-making; that would enable Governments to back down from their mistakes; and would enable United Nations fact-finding missions and other mechanisms to operate. Partnerships were needed that would produce new milestones on a par with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction and the establishment of the International Criminal Court.

The Universal Declaration had given birth to an extensive body of human rights law, but there were important gaps in coverage, and the world was far from the goal of universal ratification of all the major conventions, he said. There also existed a chasm between laws that existed on the books, and the reality of the situation on the ground. Although the tenets of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had been woven into the fabric of national and international life, it could not be left to governments or institutions alone to do what needed to be done. There was no turning back in the revolution of human rights, nor from the NGO global revolution.

MARY ROBINSON, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a video message that the Universal Declaration had been adopted because of a need to emphasize the dignity and worth of the human being. It protected the right not only to be protected from torture or other violations, but also to access to health care and freedom. The interdependence of rights should also be stressed. She placed special emphasis on civil and political rights such as a guarantee to a free trial. In examining human rights, the world should also be looking at asylum-seekers and refugees.

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She said that the Universal Declaration's fiftieth anniversary was not an occasion to celebrate, rather it was an occasion for recommitment to its principles. The world needed to recognize the sacrifice of those who had given their lives to protect the human rights of others. Human rights were too important to be left to governments and international organizations -- each person had to recognize and protect the rights of others. A key violation of human rights was absolute poverty, which denied so many rights. On the anniversary, it was important to look forward to the next millennium to protecting and furthering all human rights for all.

SUZANNE MUBARAK, First Lady of Egypt, said she appreciated the valuable role of the NGOs, which acted as the conscience of the world, and the work of the international civil service in the progress towards international human rights. Human rights were a fundamental pillar of the work of the United Nations, but despite international consensus, recognized norms and standards had yet to be applied. Many factors hampered the effective implementation of universal human rights, and it was necessary at this stage to honestly appraise the situation, and to admit that it was not as rosy as the founders of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights fifty years ago would have hoped.

It was the poor and the weak in the world, particularly women and children, who bore the brunt of human rights violations, she said. The protection of human rights was an integral part of the work of the United Nations; it was an issue that concerned the international community as a whole, and responsibility for implementation of human rights fell upon the governments of all nations without exception. Human rights could not be achieved without democracy, justice or development: the poor would relinquish their rights in exchange for a piece of bread. A society that could not tackle poverty would remain incapable of assimilating even the most basic tenets of human rights. However, development could not be pursued at the expense of human rights.

Human rights were also linked to peace, she said. They could not be implemented in a situation where there was no security. It was also necessary to have equitable relations between nations: a notable violation of that equity was the imposition of sanctions on some nations by others -- sanctions which affected primarily the women and children of a society. There was a profound link between human rights and education; future generations needed to grow up fully aware of their rights and their duties, aware of the line between individual liberty and communal obligations.

She said it was now more urgent than ever before to describe a formula that would allow the world to work towards the goal of universal human rights. A dialogue between all nations was necessary, and only through an honest assessment of the positive and negative aspects of the situation would it be possible to achieve the aspirations of the international community.

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A greater level of tolerance must be established, she said. It was regrettable that human rights issues had been made in many instances into a political weapon: human rights were too important an issue for that, especially where double standards were being applied. The universe had been created for all races and nations without exception. A new constructive partnership was needed that would work towards human rights: that partnership should include governments, the international community, NGOs and individuals to work towards the great humanitarian dream.

NAFIS SADIK, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had special significance for women whose rights had been given secondary importance. Women must be free to make choices in all areas of their lives. Fundamental to freedom of choice were decisions concerning reproductive and sexual health and freedom from discrimination, coercion and violence.

However, today, women's freedom to exercise their right to reproductive health was restricted by oppressive traditions that limited their choices in childbearing and by the lack of access to reproductive health services. Due to such neglect, 600,000 women died each year during pregnancy or childbirth. The international community must confront such abuses of human rights honestly and forcefully. Governments must be urged to enact and enforce laws against such abuses and there must be ceaseless advocacy to alter patterns of behaviour that had allowed them to continue.

Other areas of special concern were the rights of adolescents and refugees, she continued. Representatives of civil society were essential allies in the struggle to protect the rights of all peoples. Men's active participation and acceptance of women's rights as human rights was essential in securing equal rights for all. Male involvement reduced unfairness and gender inequality and fostered the autonomy of women.

Global aspirations required concerted action, she added. The international community needed to strengthen its resolve to achieve the aims of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Above all, it must be stressed that those lofty principles implied practical goals, attainable only through practical action. Governments, NGOs and individual communities all had their part to play. She looked forward to working even more closely with the NGOs to make the Declaration of Human Rights a reality for all the world's people.

ELAINE VALDOV, Chairperson of the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, questioned whether people had the right to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights when the world continued to face widespread discrimination and violations of human rights. Atrocities had been systematically carried out, but the world must transform the anger and shame of those acts into action by defending the rights of all and by celebrating

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the vast numbers of human rights activists and defenders. Today it was necessary to hear the stories of those championing the rights of others.

She said the task before the international community was to celebrate and honour; to examine the current status of human rights and its history; to recommit to goals and to take up the challenge to act. The Declaration had been born out of the Second World War -- a time of significant pain and suffering, with gross violations of human rights. But did humanity need such a cataclysmic event to make it act? she wondered.

In order for the human rights movement to succeed, NGOs must be a significant member of all human rights teams, she said. They were the key sources of early warning and alerted the world community to human rights violations. Non governmental organizations brought new ideas and means to accomplish those ideas for the advancement of human rights, and they guided the world with a set of values and ethics. The challenge was to act for the rights of peoples by making this a new millennium of human rights and by making the preamble of the Universal Declaration a living force in the hearts of all.

CLARETTA NESBITT, Chairperson, NGO/DPI Conference Planning Committee, said that thanks to the work of philosophers, scholars, grassroots activists, religious institutions, human rights organizations, governments and NGOs, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had made a difference in the lives of peoples around the world.

While the Declaration had survived 50 years, its relevance must be evaluated and the definition of human rights violations needed to be expanded. A standard criteria should be applied equally to all countries, and it should not be used as a political tool by powerful countries against those with whom a good relationship did not exist.

The work of publicizing human rights violations and bringing pressure on offending Governments often fell to NGOs, she said. The NGOs were willing to take risks that might be considered too politically sensitive by others. Over the next 50 years, NGOs must use their passion, energy and determination to help the United Nations implement human rights standards fairly and equally.

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