PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IS THE CORE OF UN WORK SAYS DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNOG ON HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

10.12.01

Following is the statement delivered today by Vladimir Petrovsky, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, at the Palais Wilson in Geneva on the occasion of the commemoration of the International Human Rights Day:
'It is an honour and a pleasure to be with you here today at Palais Wilson to commemorate International Human Rights Day. The protection and promotion of fundamental human rights is the very core of the work of the United Nations. As the Secretary-General stressed in his opening remarks at the high level segment of the General Assembly in November of this year: The United Nations must place people at the centre of everything it does 'enabling them to meet their needs and realize their full potential'. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which we celebrate today together with other Human Rights instruments, give legal expression to this aspiration and provide a framework for addressing the wide range of human rights violations.

It is therefore appropriate that this year's International Human Rights Day coincides with the formal award in Oslo of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, and the United Nations for their contribution to a better organized and more peaceful world. In the motivations for the award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee highlighted the Secretary-General's emphasis on the human rights agenda as an integral part of the organization's traditional responsibility for international peace and security. In this the centenary year of the Nobel Prize, the award is all the more significant given the heightened sense of insecurity in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September. The award of the Nobel Peace Prize will galvanize us to renew and intensify our efforts towards the attainment of global peace and security in all aspects.

This year, the International Human Rights Day has been dedicated to an initial stocktaking of activities and plans for the follow-up to the World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance held last September in Durban. The Durban Conference was the most extensive and momentous expression of the global resolve to combat the scourge of racism and intolerance in all its forms and at all levels. The importance of the Durban agenda has not diminished, but taken on added significance and new urgency in the current international situation where cultural and religious differences erroneously are being invoked to justify and sustain terror and hatred. The need for constructive dialogue, exchanges between people and the importance of respect for diversity and mutual understanding has never been greater.

Work on realizing the substantive goals set out in Durban has already commenced. As pointed out by the Secretary-General, intolerance is taught and can therefore be untaught. The Durban Conference also confirmed the centrality of education in overcoming intolerance. It is only through the unequivocal and effective transmission of the message of peace and cross-cultural understanding to the next generation that we can prevent prejudice and discrimination that are the perennial sources of conflict.

The appreciation of the need for cross-cultural enlightenment also lies at the heart of the United Nations Dialogue Among Civilizations. Cultural and intellectual interaction between opinion makers and the new generation of diplomats and leaders is an integral part of the efforts to vanquish injustice. Only through continuous dialogue and focus on the human dimension can we cultivate a peaceful, prosperous and equitable international order based on the fundamental principles of solidarity and human rights.

To turn our hopes into reality, we must ensure that political leaders are fully committed to the norms of universal human rights and anti-discrimination and to providing firm frameworks for guaranteeing an effective implementation of human rights policies. In the words of Goethe, "to wish is not enough - we must act".

Today, as we celebrate International Human Rights Day and the award of the Nobel Peace Prize, we unite to act. We pledge ourselves to persevering in the fight against intolerance and injustice, and we call on world leaders, activists and citizens to join us in that fight. Only in partnership can we hope to bridge the gap between the articulation of human rights norms and their implementation, and only with full respect for human rights can dignity and dialogue prevail over discrimination and violence'.