OFFICE OF HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS BACKS FORUM BARCELONA 2004

1 July 2003




The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has expressed its support for Forum Barcelona 2004, an international event which aims to provide a unique space for dialogue and reflection on the main cultural and social challenges and problems facing humanity in the twenty –first century.

Acting High Commissioner Bertrand Ramcharan announced the Office’s backing of the gathering following a meeting on 27 June with organizers of the Forum, among them Ambassador Manuel Montobbio of Spain. Mr. Ramcharan and the organizers discussed the many links between human rights and the the themes of the Forum. Indeed, they agreed that human rights is a key “horizontal” issue that runs through every aspect of the Forum’s work.

The Forum is to be held between 9 May and 26 September 2004 under the auspices of UNESCO and the authorities of Spain and of the country’s autonomous region of Catalonia. It intends to bring together people and organizations from different social sectors and cultures to work toward new forms of coexistence that respect cultural diversity, sustainable development and the conditions necessary for peace —the Forum’s three central themes. These goals will be pursued through dialogue, reflection and a wide range of entertainment and cultural activities.

OHCHR will aim to take part in the many different dialogues of the Forum and will work with the organizers through the International Advisory Committee in the preparatory stages of the event.

More information on the Forum is available on its website www.barcelona2004.org. For information on the participation of OHCHR, please contact David Chikvaidze (tel. +4122-917-9122; fax. +4122-917-9004; e-mail dchikvaidze@ohchr.org) or Bernadette Pierard-Pasquier (tel. +4122-917-9360; fax. +4122-917-9012; e-mail B. Pierard-Pasquier@ohchr.org)





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