Page 327 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

Bringing the Concept to Life

There is no single model of the organization of society that is ideal for the
promotion of human rights. Each culture, within its own traditions and history
can enshrine and promote these values. However, it is not by chance that the
words “democracy” and “human rights” are often used together. Only the
society that provides freedom of expression, pluralism. tolerance and the rule of
law ensures respect for individuals. The issues of human rights and
democratization come hand ln hand. The imperishable bond between these
two notions is now universally recognized. It is indicative that in recent years
the United Nations is receiving more requests for electoral assistance than ever
before. There is hardly a political leader who would claim that he or she does
not respect these values. However, there is still a long distance between
declarations and the actual commitment to democracy and human rights.
These values should become an integral part of the mental outlook of every
human being.

If we compare the Universal Declaration with the humanitarian Mont
Blanc that humankind managed to conquer, then I would say we have many
more mountain peaks to climb. Although the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights was adopted one day after the Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the most basic right, the right to life is
still continually violated. In the recent words of the Secretary-General: “Many
thought, no doubt, that the horrors of the Second World War - the camps, the
cruelty, the exterminations, the Holocaust - could never happen again. And yet
they have. In Cambodia, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Rwanda. Our time -
this decade even - has shown us that man’s capacity for evil knows no limits.
Genocide - the destruction of an entire people on the basis of ethnic or national
origins - is now a word of our time, too, a stark and haunting reminder of why
our vigilance must be eternal.” The promotion of human rights and the
prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide continue to be at the top
of the international agenda.

Four years after the Universal Declaration, another very important
document was endorsed - the Declaration on the Political Rights of Women -
which proclaimed gender equality as a fundamental human right. While it is
encouraging that progress has been achieved for women’s advancement since
the adoption of this document, much remains to be done. Investment on the
part of the international community is necessary to translate women's equal
rights into practice. Nevertheless, more women all over the world enjoy equal
rights with men and more women have been able to obtain leadership positions
in Governments and business. In this context I would like to welcome the

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