Welcome to the United Nations 
OHCHR 
Press releases Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Default title
07 December 2000
Share
7 December 2000
High Commissioner for Human Rights Makes Satellite Address
The search for new approaches to battle racism in all its various forms dominated discussions, as Human Rights Day 2000 was commemorated today at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, addressed by satellite representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the ongoing preparations for the upcoming World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. The videoconference took place in Conference Room 1 at 10:30 a.m.
Mrs. Robinson, who is also the Secretary-General of the World Conference against Racism, spoke from Santiago, Chile, where she is presently taking part in a regional preparatory meeting for the Americas. The World Conference against Racism will be held in Durban, South Africa from 31 August to
7 September 2001.
Non-governmental organizations from Chicago, Geneva, Mexico City, New York, Santa Fé de Bogotá, San Francisco, Santiago, Chile, and Vienna participated live in today’s special event, which was co-sponsored by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Department of Public Information (DPI).
Other speakers included Techeste Ahderom, Chair, NGO Committee on Human Rights, Jyoti Singh, Executive Coordinator, World Conference against Racism, and high-level representatives of the South African Government.
Following the videoconference on the Conference against Racism, at noon, a panel of human rights experts discussed the theme "Human rights balance sheet for the year 2000”. Speakers included Gabriel J. Valdés, Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations; Elissavet Stamatopoulou, Deputy to the Director, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, New York; Techeste Ahderom, Chair, NGO Committee on Human Rights; Malcolm Smart, Director of Programmes, New York, Human Rights Watch.
The Conference against Racism has the potential to be a "landmark event" according to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, since it will provide each nation and people a chance to examine its own record in improving relations between the different groups that constitute society. She said, "I also believe that it can reinforce our resolve to recast our identity in the new millennium as multicultural communities where everyone’s rights are respected."
Mrs. Robinson added, “My central message for the World Conference is that we are all one human family, regardless of race, colour, descent, ethnic or social origin, and that for too long diversity has been regarded as a threat rather than a gift. It is time that we refocus our understanding and allow diversity to be a potential for mutual enrichment and benefit. I believe, therefore, there is a need to generate a constructive, positive forward-looking approach to the possible outcome of the World Conference against Racism, the first of its kind to be organised by the United Nations in the post-cold war and post-apartheid era."
The events today were part of a series of programmes designed to highlight human rights issues.
On 8 December, DPI will host its third annual student conference on human rights in Conference Room 1. About 400 students from the United States, Mexico and Canada will take part in the day-long activity. The students will meet in two plenaries and draft a student declaration on human rights, which they will hand over to Harri Holkeri, President of the General Assembly. The students will also hear from Olara Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and Giandomenico Picco, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the International Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. Kensaku Hogen, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, will inaugurate the conference at 10 a.m.
Also, as part of the student meeting, DPI today hosted a doll-making workshop in which the visiting students worked with Lourdes Darveniza, a well known doll-maker from Ecuador. These dolls, better known as Friendship Dolls, will be donated to charities to raise funds for children in war-torn countries. The workshop took place in the Public Lobby at 10:30 a.m.
From 11 to 14 December, about 50 journalists, academics, experts, and United Nations officials will take part in the second Indigenous Media Workshop co-sponsored by DPI with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Twelve indigenous journalists are being sponsored by the High Commissioner for Human Rights through the Voluntary Fund for the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People.
The workshop will particularly focus on the relationship between the mainstream media and indigenous media. It is also hoped that such an activity will raise awareness among non-indigenous media about issues affecting indigenous peoples and providing an opportunity for indigenous and non-indigenous media to establish networks and cooperation projects.
In Geneva, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will organize a series of events on Monday, 11 December around the theme “Human Rights Education: A contribution to the culture of peace”. In the morning, a forum on the Culture of Peace will be opened by the High Commissioner to be followed by a dialogue between experts, governments, international organizations and NGOs.
In the afternoon, heads of United Nations Agencies will participate in a panel on the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), followed by a dialogue between the heads of agencies and the experts of the Culture of Peace Forum. On this occasion, the High Commissioner’s Office Resource Collection on Human Rights Education will be officially opened and the Database on Human Rights Education will be launched.
* *** *
High Commissioner for Human Rights Makes Satellite Address
The search for new approaches to battle racism in all its various forms dominated discussions, as Human Rights Day 2000 was commemorated today at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, addressed by satellite representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the ongoing preparations for the upcoming World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. The videoconference took place in Conference Room 1 at 10:30 a.m.
Mrs. Robinson, who is also the Secretary-General of the World Conference against Racism, spoke from Santiago, Chile, where she is presently taking part in a regional preparatory meeting for the Americas. The World Conference against Racism will be held in Durban, South Africa from 31 August to
7 September 2001.
Non-governmental organizations from Chicago, Geneva, Mexico City, New York, Santa Fé de Bogotá, San Francisco, Santiago, Chile, and Vienna participated live in today’s special event, which was co-sponsored by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Department of Public Information (DPI).
Other speakers included Techeste Ahderom, Chair, NGO Committee on Human Rights, Jyoti Singh, Executive Coordinator, World Conference against Racism, and high-level representatives of the South African Government.
Following the videoconference on the Conference against Racism, at noon, a panel of human rights experts discussed the theme "Human rights balance sheet for the year 2000”. Speakers included Gabriel J. Valdés, Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations; Elissavet Stamatopoulou, Deputy to the Director, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, New York; Techeste Ahderom, Chair, NGO Committee on Human Rights; Malcolm Smart, Director of Programmes, New York, Human Rights Watch.
The Conference against Racism has the potential to be a "landmark event" according to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, since it will provide each nation and people a chance to examine its own record in improving relations between the different groups that constitute society. She said, "I also believe that it can reinforce our resolve to recast our identity in the new millennium as multicultural communities where everyone’s rights are respected."
Mrs. Robinson added, “My central message for the World Conference is that we are all one human family, regardless of race, colour, descent, ethnic or social origin, and that for too long diversity has been regarded as a threat rather than a gift. It is time that we refocus our understanding and allow diversity to be a potential for mutual enrichment and benefit. I believe, therefore, there is a need to generate a constructive, positive forward-looking approach to the possible outcome of the World Conference against Racism, the first of its kind to be organised by the United Nations in the post-cold war and post-apartheid era."
The events today were part of a series of programmes designed to highlight human rights issues.
On 8 December, DPI will host its third annual student conference on human rights in Conference Room 1. About 400 students from the United States, Mexico and Canada will take part in the day-long activity. The students will meet in two plenaries and draft a student declaration on human rights, which they will hand over to Harri Holkeri, President of the General Assembly. The students will also hear from Olara Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and Giandomenico Picco, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the International Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. Kensaku Hogen, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, will inaugurate the conference at 10 a.m.
Also, as part of the student meeting, DPI today hosted a doll-making workshop in which the visiting students worked with Lourdes Darveniza, a well known doll-maker from Ecuador. These dolls, better known as Friendship Dolls, will be donated to charities to raise funds for children in war-torn countries. The workshop took place in the Public Lobby at 10:30 a.m.
From 11 to 14 December, about 50 journalists, academics, experts, and United Nations officials will take part in the second Indigenous Media Workshop co-sponsored by DPI with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Twelve indigenous journalists are being sponsored by the High Commissioner for Human Rights through the Voluntary Fund for the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People.
The workshop will particularly focus on the relationship between the mainstream media and indigenous media. It is also hoped that such an activity will raise awareness among non-indigenous media about issues affecting indigenous peoples and providing an opportunity for indigenous and non-indigenous media to establish networks and cooperation projects.
In Geneva, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will organize a series of events on Monday, 11 December around the theme “Human Rights Education: A contribution to the culture of peace”. In the morning, a forum on the Culture of Peace will be opened by the High Commissioner to be followed by a dialogue between experts, governments, international organizations and NGOs.
In the afternoon, heads of United Nations Agencies will participate in a panel on the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), followed by a dialogue between the heads of agencies and the experts of the Culture of Peace Forum. On this occasion, the High Commissioner’s Office Resource Collection on Human Rights Education will be officially opened and the Database on Human Rights Education will be launched.
* *** *