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United Nations reflects on human rights role
December 10, 1997
Web posted at: 1:53 p.m. EST (1853 GMT)From Correspondent David Clinch
(CNN) -- The universal right to food, education and basic civic and political freedoms were lofty goals set by the United Nations following World War II.
With much of Europe still in ruins and the atrocities of the Holocaust fresh in people's minds, the newly formed organization also made a related commitment on December 10, 1948, by developing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Wednesday was the first day of ceremonies that will continue throughout the year and end with a special celebration next December to mark the declaration's 50th anniversary.
The United Nations is taking stock of its efforts.
"There are approximately a billion (people) of our world who live in the kind of absolute poverty that denies them their economic and social rights and their right to development," said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson.
"So it is not a celebration. It is a concerted year in which we rededicate ourselves to this vision, and we do it in a context of review of the commitments entered into."
Robinson and her staff are the first to admit that genocide and other human rights violations remain a major concern in all parts of the world, and surface as racial hatred, child abuse and political repression.
President Clinton is a vocal human rights supporter, and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was to be a keynote speaker at Wednesday's ceremonies.
For the president, human rights and democracy are inextricable.
"Supporting the spread of democracy, with respect for human rights, advances the values that make life worth living," he said.
The United Nations is careful not to tie the human rights issue to any single political system, but instead appeals to the more fundamental human awareness of what is right.
"Human rights are the foundation of human existence and co-existence. Human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent," said U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "Human rights are what makes us human. They are principles by which we create the sacred home for human dignity."
Related stories:
- United Nations wraps up year condemning human rights violations - December 25, 1995
- World leaders discuss the U.N.'s next 50 years - October 24, 1995
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