UNITED NATIONS TO OBSERVE HUMAN RIGHTS DAY AT HEADQUARTERS ON 10 DECEMBER

Note to Correspondents

UNITED NATIONS TO OBSERVE HUMAN RIGHTS DAY AT HEADQUARTERS ON 10 DECEMBER

      A number of special events to observe Human Rights Day will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday, 10 December 2003.  Members of the media are invited to attend. 

The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights will be awarded at the meeting of the General Assembly from 10 – 11 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall.  The awardees will be presented with a commemorative plaque during the award ceremony. 

      In his message for Human Rights Day, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan paid tribute to the commitment and courage of the men and women who defend human rights in every country.  “Human rights defenders stand in the front lines of protection, casting the bright light of human rights into the darkest corners of tyranny and abuse”, stated the Secretary-General.  “They work to safeguard the rule of law, to reduce violence, poverty and discrimination, and to build structures for freer, more equitable and more democratic societies.  It is to them that many victims of human rights violations turn in their hour of need.”

The recipients of the 2003 United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights are:  Ms. Enriqueta Estela Barnes de Carlotto (Argentina); Mr. Deng Pufang (China); the Family Protection Management Team of Jordan; Ms. Shulamith Koenig (United States); and the Mano River Women’s Peace Network in West Africa.  A special posthumous award was given to the late United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was killed on duty in Iraq along with 21 others on 19 August 2003.

In addition to the award ceremony in the General Assembly on Human Rights Day, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in conjunction with Member States and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), will host a number of public events on 10 December.  These parallel events are designed to commemorate the various anniversaries, reflect on progress made, and promote discussion on the current challenges in the field of human rights. 

-- A United Nations University (UNU) panel discussion on the launch of the UNU book entitled Globalisation of Human Rights will take place in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, from 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  Among those in attendance will be the Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bertrand Ramcharan; Professor Philip Alston (New York University School of Law); Jean-Marc Coicaud (UNU New York Office); and Professor Michael Doyle (Columbia University).

-- From 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., and from 3 - 6 p.m., the General Assembly will commemorate the fifty-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Human Rights Day and the tenth anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.

-- A photographic tribute to our shared humanity, entitled “The Milestones Project”, will be opened near the Vienna Café and Basement Conference Rooms, from 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.  Human rights publications and promotional material will be available.

-- A performance will be given by the New York Labour Choir, against the backdrop of the Bermuda Children’s Peace and Tolerance Mural.  The performance will take place in the Visitor’s Entrance, GA Lobby, from 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.

-- The NGO Human Rights Committee will host a lunchtime panel discussion on “The Rule of Law”, from 1:15 - 2:45 p.m. in Conference Room 2.

-- From 3 – 6 p.m., the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will convene a high-level panel discussion on the tenth anniversary of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, entitled “Human Rights Ten Years After Vienna:  Progress, Challenges and the Role of Key Institutions”.  The panel will take place in Conference Room 2.

Human Rights Day is observed each year around the world by various entities of the United Nations, governments, NGOs, schools and universities, and by others interested in promoting human rights.  The Day was proclaimed by the General Assembly to celebrate the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the General Assembly on 10 December 1948, and to exert increasing efforts in this field of human progress.

Journalists without United Nations credentials should fax a letter of assignment to (212) 963-4642, with a follow-up call to the United Nations Media Accreditation Unit at (212) 963-7164.  For UN TV coverage, call (212) 963-7650.

For further information, contact:  Hiro Ueki, Strategic Communications Division, Department of Public Information (SCD/DPI), tel.:  (212) 963-5150, fax:  (212) 963-2218, e-mail:  ueki@un.org; or Elisabeth Ruzicka-Dempsey, SCD/DPI, tel.:  (212) 963-1742, fax:  (212) 963-2218, e-mail:  ruzicka-dempsey@un.org.  Or visit the following Web site:  http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/.

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