NOBEL LAUREATES SHARE VIEWS ON UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN ONLINE EDITION OF UN CHRONICLE
Press Release
PI/1125
NOBEL LAUREATES SHARE VIEWS ON UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN ONLINE EDITION OF UN CHRONICLE
19990416 Several recipients of Nobel Prizes in different areas of human endeavour share their views on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the latest online edition of the UN Chronicle, which focus on the fiftieth anniversary of that document. At the invitation of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, four Nobel Laureates contributed their reflections on the Universal Declaration.Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, observes that it "told us what our oppressors were at great pains to deny -- that we had fundamental, inalienable rights that were not in the gift of some benevolent earthly ruler who could grant or withhold them as the whim moved him. No, these rights were God-given, there simply and solely because we were human beings."
Speaking to the international community of scientists, Professor John C. Polanyi (Prize in Chemistry, 1986) states that "the time has come to underscore the fact that our and others' rights are contingent on our willingness to assert and defend them."
Among other articles in the online edition of the UN Chronicle is one by Joaquim Chissano, President of Mozambique, on "Healing the Wounds of Past Conflicts, Mozambique Opts for a Culture of Peace", and another by Ed Marks offering a glimpse of the amazing array of art that finds its home at the United Nations.
The online edition, which has been completely redesigned and updated, also includes a broad selection of other articles from issues of the quarterly published by the Department of Public Information (DPI) that date back through 1997. It can be found on the Internet by pointing your browser to:
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle
The magazine's online edition now has an easier-to-navigate design that incorporates the latest additions to web technology. Intuitive and user- friendly, the site hosts a broad sampling of the in-depth coverage of activities and programmes of the far-reaching United Nations system, as well as questions of concern to it. It features interviews, essays, opinions and
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ideas from officials and personalities connected with the Organization and its agencies, as well as from national government leaders, independent experts and non-governmental organizations.
Site visitors are encouraged to share their opinions regarding the articles and the site through e-mail links on every page. To facilitate readers who also want to subscribe to the complete print edition, subscription information and a faxable form are provided.
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