Statement by Mr. Richard Young on the Conference Dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Ashgabat, 29 November 2008

Your Excellencies,

Distinguished Participants,

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

29 November 2008. It gives me great pleasure to open this joint conference on the 60th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, together with my colleagues from the Government of Turkmenistan and the UN Agencies, It is very encouraging to see here representatives from different government ministries and institutions, academia and the diplomatic community. And I would like to sincerely thank our counterpart, and my friend, Ms. Shirin Ahmedova, Director of the NIDHR, for taking the lead in organizing this conference, as well as for her dedicated support provided on many other occasions.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, is the foundation of international human rights law, the first universal statement on the basic principles of inalienable human rights, and a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. Importantly also, it enunciated the essentials of democracy. Ever since its adoption the UDHR has inspired constitution-making in every corner of the world, and it has contributed greatly to the eventual global acceptance of democracy as a universal value.

I am sure all of you have heard about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet, it is crucially important for all to know and understand the importance and the power of this document, which advocates for all people’s rights and freedoms, irrespective of – and I quote – “race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” Indeed, the theme of this 60th anniversary of the UDHR is Dignity and Justice for All.

The universality and current relevance of the Declaration are indeed unquestionable. Although it was developed sixty years ago by representatives of all regions and legal traditions, the Declaration remains as relevant as it was in the aftermath of the World War II, when the issues of equality, discrimination, intolerance and violation of rights were acute and required urgent attention by states, organizations and individuals alike. The world has of course changed and advanced a lot since the 1940s but, despite these advances, the same issues of discrimination and rights violations exist across the world for a variety of reasons. Continuing disparities between the rich and the poor, the emergence of terrorism and national security measures, problems with food availability and access, and environmental pressures mean that the principles of the Declaration need to be defended and implemented as ever before.      

It is notable that the UDHR has paved the way for and fostered the drafting and adoption of the core United Nations human rights treaties and conventions, as well as promoted the establishment of the Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures. Without going into details, both these mechanisms serve to monitor the implementation of human rights conventions ratified by the different countries or State Parties. The UDHR has thus served as the major driving force behind the creation of the global human rights protection system the ultimate goal of which is to make sure that all countries respect and implement its provisions. As noted by Ms Navanethem Pillay, the recently appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in her address to the Human Rights Council, “the challenge is how to make this system work better to overcome the persisting abuses, the omissions and the neglect that still stand in the way of the full implementation of human rights.” 

The efficiency and credibility of national and global human rights work, as stressed by the High Commissioner, “depends on its commitment to truth, with no tolerance for double standards or selective application.” In this regard, I am proud to say that the United Nations has a long history of cooperation with national governments and their partners in implementing the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Turkmenistan is a specific example of such cooperation, where the various UN Agencies continue to work on different aspects of human rights, including children’s rights - the rights to education, health and protection being principle among these - the rights of refugees and women’s rights including reproductive rights. Indeed, all the work of the UN in the country has direct relevance to human rights and freedoms. In this regard, I am particularly happy to note the excellent level of cooperation with the National Institute of Democracy and Human Rights, which is the UN’s key national counterpart in the human rights work.

Overall, I am confident to say that the United Nations has been instrumental in moving the international human rights agenda forward and it does so in close partnership with member-states. The impartiality and the neutral status of the United Nations place the organization in a unique position to assist governments and civil society in their efforts to protect and promote all human rights, as envisaged in the Declaration.  

During this conference today, my colleagues from the UN agencies represented in Turkmenistan, together with Ms Ahmedova, will further explore aspects of the UDHR and illustrate how they apply to our work in the country. I am also very happy to welcome Mr Dimiter Chalev, the Regional Representative of the UN OHCHR, who has travelled to Ashgabat to join us for the conference and we shall certainly benefit from his knowledge and experience in human rights.

Let me conclude by expressing my hope that sooner or later, all articles of the UDHR become a reality, rather than something that we take for granted. But to achieve this, the governments of all nations, civil society and individuals, including all of us sitting in this conference room, need to renew our commitment to the ideals embodied in the UDHR and make collective and individual efforts to ensure its implementation.