POISON OF IGNORANCE LIES AT HEART OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, SECRETARY-GENERAL STATES AT OPENING OF DPI EXHIBIT
Press Release
SG/SM/6829
PI/1104
POISON OF IGNORANCE LIES AT HEART OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, SECRETARY-GENERAL STATES AT OPENING OF DPI EXHIBIT
19981210 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Kofi Annan Stresses Importance of Human Rights EducationFollowing are remarks by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the opening of the Department of Public Information's (DPI) exhibit commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in New York today:
It gives me great pleasure to be with you as we continue a rich and moving day of events marking a true milestone in United Nations and world affairs: the adoption, 50 years ago today, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This beautiful exhibition was prepared by the Department of Public Information as part of the United Nations global programme of education about human rights. That programme is as central to our quest for human rights as any of the United Nations treaty bodies, special rapporteurs or other mechanisms.
For it is the poison of ignorance, all too frequently, that lies at the heart of human rights violations. Knowledge provides an antidote. Just as people can be taught to hate, so, too, can they learn about tolerance, diversity, and respect.
Education is also necessary because, while human rights are universal, public awareness about them is not. Indeed, those who know least about human rights are often those who need to know most. Here, too, education is a powerful weapon.
- 2 - Press Release SG/SM/6829 HR/4396 PI/1104 10 December 1998
This exhibition takes that mission to heart. It illustrates each of the Declaration's 30 articles with photographs from several countries and historical images from the United Nations own archives. You will also see beautiful calligraphy, and artwork from children around the world.
Children, as any parent or teacher knows -- and as is clear from the art on display here -- have a highly developed radar for injustice, and a propensity to ask difficult questions. They will continue to watch us closely, to see what kind of world we are making for them.
If art demonstrates the power of the imagination, the human rights prize winners joining us here today show us the imagination made real.
Known to many or to just a few, each of the award winners had a dream of how society might be, and pursued that vision with remarkable courage and dedication. Their communities, and the international community, will be forever grateful for their commitment to the common good, which is the very heart and soul of the United Nations.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights launched a revolution in our thinking about human existence and well-being. We have made great progress in 50 years, but our failures and shortcomings compel us to go further still. We cannot -- and must not -- rest until we reach the Declaration's objective of all human rights for all. In that spirit, I am pleased to open this exhibition, which I hope you will find both enriching and inspiring.
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