2001 HAS BEEN A CHALLENGING YEAR FOR HUMAN RIGHTS SAYS HIGH COMMISSIONER ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

10 December 2001



Following is the message of Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the occasion of Human Rights Day which is commemorated on 10 December:

"This has been a challenging year for human rights. The hope that the turn of the millennium would signal a new era of respect for fundamental freedoms seems like a distant memory now. In its place we are left with the sobering realization that there is as much, if not more, work to do to make human rights a reality for all. Indeed, armed conflicts continue to rage around the world, with their attendant violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Too many of those who work on the front lines defending human rights are intimidated and murdered. Religious intolerance and racial discrimination persist in every continent.

And then, on 11 September 2001, the world experienced terrorist acts on such a scale that they could only be seen as crimes against humanity and an affront to human rights. But the past year also gave us a glimpse of what we are capable of when we work as a global community. The world was united in condemning the attacks in the United States and in sympathy for the victims. In a significant recognition of the UN's work for peace and human rights, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Organization its Peace Prize for 2001. How fitting that on Human Rights Day, the Secretary-General is in Oslo accepting the prize.

2001 also saw the World Conference against Racism. From 31 August to 8 September, thousands of people from around the world met in Durban, South Africa, to elaborate strategies for combatting racism and intolerance. Durban was an honest, if at times painful, global dialogue about some of the most searing issues facing humanity. At Durban the world confronted complex issues of the past and the present. The historic gathering made it plain that the scourge of racism crosses all national and cultural boundaries. Durban launched a renewed global alliance against racism and gave it a solid anti-discrimination agenda to work with.

In the aftermath of 11 September and the international response to terrorism, this nti-discrimination agenda is even more crucial. It should be an integral part of efforts to safeguard against any erosion of human rights standards that might flow as an unintended consequence of measures to counter terror.

This Human Rights Day I will be in Addis Ababa for a panel on "Poverty and Racism: Challenges for Human Rights and Development in Africa." The Durban Conference recognized and supported the efforts of developing countries, and particularly of African leaders, to address the challenges of poverty through initiatives such as the New Partnership for African Development. The panel, organized by my Office in cooperation with the Economic Commission for Africa, is but one example of the partnerships required to put the commitments of Durban into practice.

My Office is committed to taking the lead in follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. We are consulting with all our partners - States, international and national institutions, non-governmental groups - on how to put Durban's plans into action. I hope that today, 10 December, commemorations around the world will take stock of plans for implementing the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action and kick-start planning for sustained efforts against racism.

10 December marks the date over fifty years ago when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed, with its vision of a world in which all might enjoy all rights and freedoms without discrimination. We now have in hand the tools with which to work together for the complete elimination of racism, racial discrimination and intolerance.

Let us use them".




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