Page 328 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International

election of Mrs. Ruth Dreifuss as the President of the Swiss Confederation, and
to greet here today Mrs. Brunschwig Graf, the President of the State Council
of the Republic and Canton of Geneva. I would also like to mention with
deep satisfaction that the number of women among the United Nations
high officials has significantly increased during the past few years. I am
proud to work in Geneva with such distinguished personalities as
Mrs. Robinson, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Ogata, the
High Commissioner for Refugees, and Mrs. Bruntland, the Director-General
of the World Health Organization.

The commemoration of the 50th Anniversary is an important landmark to
further promote human rights and to give them greater practical meaning with
every coming year. Next year we shall commemorate the 100th Anniversary of
The Hague Conventions and the 50th Anniversary of the Geneva Conven-
tions. Together these two sets of international instruments constitute the
foundation of international humanitarian law, the implementation of which
limits the effects of war on people and property and protects particularly vul-
nerable groups of peoples. Obviously, there is a need to strengthen these
international rules given the growing number of intra-State conflicts. For the
United Nations, one of the major humanitarian legal instruments is the 1994
Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. While
commending the tireless efforts and dedication of the staff of the humanitarian
organizations as well as human rights workers throughout the world who are
ready to risk their lives in performing their duties in the most troubled pass of
the world, I would like to stress that the safety of staff is the priority in the work
of our Organization and everything possible should be done to ensure it.

The year 2000 has been proclaimed by the United Nations General As-
sembly as the International Year for the Culture of Peace. The culture of peace
comprises all the values, attitudes and forms of behaviour that reflect respect
for life and human dignity, the rejection of violence in all its forms, and com-
mitment to the principles of justice, solidarity, tolerance and understanding
among peoples and between groups and individuals. The years ahead, as you
can see, afford new opportunities for the translation of human rights concepts
into reality.

In our persistent efforts to advance human rights, Geneva, which is the
home of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights as well as other United Nations' humanitarian organizations, will
continue to serve as the focal point of humanitarianism. In the new post-Cold

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