Edith Wirdze
14 December 2008
Sixty years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world is still enslaved in human rights abuses and the challenges we face are as daunting as those that confronted the Declaration drafters.
Following the Second World War which brought disaster, poverty and instability, people who wished for a world with peace, prosperity, stability and dignity could not undermine the situation. They thought of something that could hold the world in solidarity.
It is in this context that 30 articles aimed at enhancing peace and human dignity were drafted in a document titled the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It aimed for all people to enjoy freedom of speech, belief and freedom from fear and want, qualities which all humans desire.
December 10, 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of this Declaration, adopted in 1948.
But, 60 years after the adoption of the Declaration, as the Secretary General of the UN, Ban ki Moon, highlighted in a press release, we have not been able to attain the Declaration. "We face a food emergency and a global financial crisis.
Humankind's assault on the natural environment continues. There is political repression in too many countries. And as ever, the most vulnerable continue to be on the frontlines of hardship and abuse". Considering these failures, the Secretary General called for everyone to act on collective responsibility to uphold the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration.
He stressed that "We can only honour the towering vision of that inspiring document when its principles are fully applied everywhere for everyone.On his part, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navy Pillay, considered the Declaration as the most important document in modern history for it has a special place; the principles are echoed in the constitutions and laws of more than 90 countries.
It is because of this importance that the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights and Human Rights Council with its independence experts, have been established to monitor, promote and further develop human rights. Moreover, "a growing number of journalists, NGOs and other civil society organisations exert ever greater and more effective vigilance over their governments," according to him.
Mr. Pillay lamented that the Universal Declaration remains an unfulfilled promise as States' political pledges are not fulfilled. However, with the advent of the internet, he said, those who wish to abuse their citizens behind closed doors find it difficult and those who wish to expose such abuses can do so more easily.
He stressed also that sine poverty is human rights violence, it is vital that development programmes should be put in place to avoid the current financial crisis from becoming calamitous.
Presiding at the ceremony, which took place at the Commerce Chambers in Yaounde, the President of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, NCHRF, Dr. Divine Chemuta Banda, said, because millions of people are still unaware of their rights, NCHRF, in collaboration with the UN Development Program, UNDP, UN Centre on Human Rights and Democracy, UNCHRD, and other partners organised a sensitisation campaign launched from November 20, to mark the Human Rights Day.
The aim of this campaign, going by him, was to sensitise the public on human rights and freedoms. He analysed some of the themes such as rights of detainees, rights of the child, violence, war and slavery. Dr. Chemuta indicated the need for human rights to be respected in order for peace and development to subsist.
The occasion was attended by personalities of the government, NCHRF, UNDP, UNHRD and the civil society.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Post. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
