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03 May 2000
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Geneva, 3 May 2000
Statement by
Mary Robinson,
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
and
Secretary-General for the World Conference on Human Rights
on the occasion of
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
I am glad to take part in this event to mark World Press Freedom Day. Press freedom is a fundamental element of democracy and a vital tool in building a culture of human rights. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims the right of everyone to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
The technological revolution has increased people’s access to information for all forms of the media. But many fear the truths journalists seek to reveal and are prepared to go to considerable lengths to prevent the real story from being told. Their actions range from undermining of journalists’ credibility to cruder pressures such as intimidation, imprisonment, ill-treatment and even murder. In the past few months alone, newspapers in Iran, Malaysia and central Africa have faced closure because their reporting upset powerful people. Reporters in Russia have encountered many restrictions as they attempted to cover events in Chechnya. Journalists in Colombia, Sri Lanka, East Timor and even my own country, Ireland, have been murdered while trying to do their work. One journalist in our minds today is the Tunisian, Ben Brick, who began a hunger strike one month ago in protest over his treatment after writing articles critical of the Tunisian Government.
It is shocking to note that during last year alone 87 journalists and media personnel were reportedly killed while carrying out their assignments. A joint statement of concern has been issued by the Rapporteurs of the UN, the OSCE and the OAS on the role of the media in conflict and post-conflict areas - the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day.
Conflict situations are a true test of governments’ commitment to freedom of expression. All too often, they fail the test. Yet, at no time is there a greater need for a government to be faced with the truth and held accountable than in situations of conflict when the risk of gross human rights violations is at its height. I consider it imperative that in times of conflict citizens are informed about the actions of their governments so that they can indicate their approval or disapproval. Without this information flow, democracy can be gravely jeopardized. Restrictions on the activities and movement of journalists - even in times of conflict - should be kept to the minimum and they should be given full protection in carrying out their work.
At the same time, we know that the media can be used as a weapon of war, as was the case in Rwanda and in the Former Yugoslavia. Journalists have to take care lest they become a tool of government, part of a propaganda machine.
A free press can play an invaluable role in informing the public about major issues and generating debate. This is especially true in the case of human rights where the press in many countries has drawn attention to violations and highlighted human rights issues that may be unpopular or controversial.
I would encourage the press to play a strong role in raising awareness of issues of racism and xenophobia. Next year, the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance will take place in South Africa. The process to prepare for that conference got under way in Geneva this week and the momentum will gather pace over the next 16 months, with activities in many parts of the world, leading up to the Conference itself.
Topics to be discussed include the protection of minorities; the prevention of racial and ethnic conflicts; migrant workers; trafficking of persons, particularly of women and children; economic, social and legal measures to overcome racial discrimination; and remedies available to victims of racism.
I cannot overstate the importance I attach to the World Conference. As public opinion polls repeatedly show, the issue of race and racism is considered among the most serious the world faces. The rise of far right parties in Europe playing on public fears is a sinister development. And the problem is far from being confined to Europe; there are many instances where governments turn a blind eye to racial and ethnic tensions or mistreat minorities and indigenous peoples, or, worst of all, stoke up ethnic and racial tensions for political advantage.
All sorts of people will have a role to play in ensuring the success of the World Conference: governments, international organizations, NGOs and civil society as a whole. I look to the media for particular support: they can be effective partners in the fight against racism by focussing on the Conference objectives and by increasing awareness of racism and its consequences.
Among the issues to be tackled during this conference will be the rapidly developing information technology. This includes the Internet, which has immense capacity to play a positive role in spreading knowledge about human rights. However, the Internet can also be abused through the dissemination of white supremacist and xenophobic material. The Conference will have to address this problem while taking account of the need to safeguard freedom of opinion and expression and the right of access to information.
I believe that the World Conference against Racism has the potential to be an event that changes lives for the better. It will address issues that lie at the root of many, if not most conflict situations. As such it can play a valuable preventive role in devising new strategies to fight the scourge of racism and xenophobia and so head off conflicts before they occur.
In tackling racism, it is not only laws and procedures we must change - it is also hearts and minds. We need a new spirit in this century, based on the recognition that we all belong to one human family and that there is strength in diversity. Our future depends on the flowering of different cultures and on the free expression of different views.
This must be our commitment.
Statement by
Mary Robinson,
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
and
Secretary-General for the World Conference on Human Rights
on the occasion of
WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
I am glad to take part in this event to mark World Press Freedom Day. Press freedom is a fundamental element of democracy and a vital tool in building a culture of human rights. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims the right of everyone to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
The technological revolution has increased people’s access to information for all forms of the media. But many fear the truths journalists seek to reveal and are prepared to go to considerable lengths to prevent the real story from being told. Their actions range from undermining of journalists’ credibility to cruder pressures such as intimidation, imprisonment, ill-treatment and even murder. In the past few months alone, newspapers in Iran, Malaysia and central Africa have faced closure because their reporting upset powerful people. Reporters in Russia have encountered many restrictions as they attempted to cover events in Chechnya. Journalists in Colombia, Sri Lanka, East Timor and even my own country, Ireland, have been murdered while trying to do their work. One journalist in our minds today is the Tunisian, Ben Brick, who began a hunger strike one month ago in protest over his treatment after writing articles critical of the Tunisian Government.
It is shocking to note that during last year alone 87 journalists and media personnel were reportedly killed while carrying out their assignments. A joint statement of concern has been issued by the Rapporteurs of the UN, the OSCE and the OAS on the role of the media in conflict and post-conflict areas - the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day.
Conflict situations are a true test of governments’ commitment to freedom of expression. All too often, they fail the test. Yet, at no time is there a greater need for a government to be faced with the truth and held accountable than in situations of conflict when the risk of gross human rights violations is at its height. I consider it imperative that in times of conflict citizens are informed about the actions of their governments so that they can indicate their approval or disapproval. Without this information flow, democracy can be gravely jeopardized. Restrictions on the activities and movement of journalists - even in times of conflict - should be kept to the minimum and they should be given full protection in carrying out their work.
At the same time, we know that the media can be used as a weapon of war, as was the case in Rwanda and in the Former Yugoslavia. Journalists have to take care lest they become a tool of government, part of a propaganda machine.
A free press can play an invaluable role in informing the public about major issues and generating debate. This is especially true in the case of human rights where the press in many countries has drawn attention to violations and highlighted human rights issues that may be unpopular or controversial.
I would encourage the press to play a strong role in raising awareness of issues of racism and xenophobia. Next year, the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance will take place in South Africa. The process to prepare for that conference got under way in Geneva this week and the momentum will gather pace over the next 16 months, with activities in many parts of the world, leading up to the Conference itself.
Topics to be discussed include the protection of minorities; the prevention of racial and ethnic conflicts; migrant workers; trafficking of persons, particularly of women and children; economic, social and legal measures to overcome racial discrimination; and remedies available to victims of racism.
I cannot overstate the importance I attach to the World Conference. As public opinion polls repeatedly show, the issue of race and racism is considered among the most serious the world faces. The rise of far right parties in Europe playing on public fears is a sinister development. And the problem is far from being confined to Europe; there are many instances where governments turn a blind eye to racial and ethnic tensions or mistreat minorities and indigenous peoples, or, worst of all, stoke up ethnic and racial tensions for political advantage.
All sorts of people will have a role to play in ensuring the success of the World Conference: governments, international organizations, NGOs and civil society as a whole. I look to the media for particular support: they can be effective partners in the fight against racism by focussing on the Conference objectives and by increasing awareness of racism and its consequences.
Among the issues to be tackled during this conference will be the rapidly developing information technology. This includes the Internet, which has immense capacity to play a positive role in spreading knowledge about human rights. However, the Internet can also be abused through the dissemination of white supremacist and xenophobic material. The Conference will have to address this problem while taking account of the need to safeguard freedom of opinion and expression and the right of access to information.
I believe that the World Conference against Racism has the potential to be an event that changes lives for the better. It will address issues that lie at the root of many, if not most conflict situations. As such it can play a valuable preventive role in devising new strategies to fight the scourge of racism and xenophobia and so head off conflicts before they occur.
In tackling racism, it is not only laws and procedures we must change - it is also hearts and minds. We need a new spirit in this century, based on the recognition that we all belong to one human family and that there is strength in diversity. Our future depends on the flowering of different cultures and on the free expression of different views.
This must be our commitment.