The Campaign News
EHHR campaign to be highlighted at UN General Assembly
This last weekend, the Elders gathered a group greater than two hundred strong at La Maison Des Arts et Métiers in Paris to reflect on the last year of Every Human Has Rights. They stood alongside more than 30 award-winning human rights journalists, civil society leaders, and government and business leaders to amplify the voices of millions of people around the world; re-committing themselves to the goals of the Universal Declaration and calling on governments and individuals everywhere to renew their commitment to human rights.
On Wednesday, 10 December - the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Mary Robinson will highlight messages from Paris and the individual pledges and group commitments made throughout the campaign in an address to world leaders at the UN General Assembly.
Announcing the Every Human Has Rights Media Awards
Celebrating Human Rights:
Recognizing outstanding contributions by the Media:
Amongst the 30 winners, the following special awards will be given:
- Best TV: EUR1000
- Best radio: EUR1000
- Best print (online and offline): EUR1000
- Best citizen journalism/blog item: EUR1000
- Best investigative report: EUR1500
- Most courageous investigation/best unpublished story: EUR2000
- 1 prize of the public for the most eye-opening report: EUR1000
Participate!
Be Creative!
Deadline for applications:
How to apply:
Applications will only be accepted online. For assistance, please contact:
Agathe Dalisson - Awards organiser
agathe@internews.fr
- Download this Announcement as a PDF and spread the word
- Visit the Media Awards Page: www.media-awards.everyhumanhasrights.org
Bitter Outcomes of Political Violence in Zimbabwe
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| Image from the New York Times showing men beating unidentified victims at a political rally |
It's June 2008. Almost 60 years after nations around the world signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, committing to realizing the right for every person "to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives", and over just the last twenty days: men, women, and children across Zimbabwe have suffered the bitter outcomes of political violence.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights offered a shared vision for the world. Article 21 of the Universal Declaration states "the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government", and "[that] will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedure" Yet on July 23rd, the front page of the New York Times online showed a photograph of six men with sticks and iron bars beating unidentified victims at the site of a planned political rally. It was just one picture of thousands too many.
- In solidarity with Zimbabwe's suffering people, make your pledge to uphold the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration. Sign the pledge, and tell your friends. Help grow this community of people spanning organizations around the world who are calling for accountability and standing up for human rights.
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| Desmond Tutu speaking with BBC's Andrew Marr |
In a BBC Interview, The Elders Chair Archbishop Tutu offered strong words, calling for the prevention of Mr. Mugabe or any of "his cronies" from leaving the country and accessing out of country funds. After Friday's election, Tutu argued that African leaders should join in a unanimous voice saying to Mr. Mugabe, "You are unwelcome any longer. You are Illegitimate We will not recognize your administration in any way, shape or form."
Every Human Has Rights partner organisations, CIVICUS and GCAP released a joint statement calling for "...every Member State in the African Union to urgently put a stop to Mr Mugabe's anti-democratic activities and protect the people of Zimbabwe..." Amnesty International described the event, "being held against a backdrop of widespread killings, torture and assault of perceived opposition supporters", as deeply distrurbing, and urged the "AU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to apply all necessary pressure on President Mugabe and his government to end the violence". All three organizations have called for a pan-African Day of Solidarity on July 12th. Civil society groups and concerned citizens are being encouraged to undertake solidarity actions on the day.
Organizations like the World YWCA are providing humanitarian assistance and continued support with shelter to survivors of violence. They're also doing robust psychosocial counselling and healing now and as the country recovers.
In addition to contributing your time and talent to efforts mentioned above, you can track what's happening on the ground through organizations like Sokwanele - Zvakwana, and Kubatana. To leave you with a glimmer of hope, here is a beautiful poem written by a human rights blogger in Harare, entitled: I am part of a vision.
Q&A: Righting Human Wrongs
Q&A: Righting Human Wrongs
Interview with Mary Robinson, former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
GLASGOW, Jun 22 (IPS) - Mary Robinson spoke to Nastasya Tay of TerraViva/IPS about human rights today and the new campaign Every Human Has Rights, on the sidelines of the eighth CIVICUS World Assembly (Jun. 18-21).
One of the world’s most successful politicians, Mary Robinson -- the first female President of Ireland -- describes the campaign as a "synergy of energy", a way for civil society to act together to effect genuine change under one banner. Human rights issues are an agenda for all of those who are marginalised and imprisoned, she says, but it is also an agenda of responsibility for every individual.
IPS: Sixty years on, how relevant is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights today? How far have we come, and how far do we have to go?Mary Robinson: There is a lot more progress to be made. But the Universal Declaration is very relevant, because it is truly universal and is not a "Western document", if you read it carefully. And sixty years on, the world is in a somewhat similar place to 1948. After two World Wars, after a Holocaust, after the dropping of bombs on Japan, the opening of a Cold War, people were fearful then. People are also fearful now and we are using the wrong approach to make them feel secure. We are using 42-day detention, Guantanamo Bay, torture, and not observing the Geneva Conventions. We need to have people say, "These human rights belong to us". We want governments, or major corporations, or anyone with power, to respect them. We know of our entitlement and we are stronger because those rights are there for us -- the rights of the poor, rights of the marginalised, rights of women, rights of children.
IPS: You say we are in a similar place to where we were in 1948. How will new challenges, such as climate change and the food crisis affect conceptions of human rights?
MR: Next month, the campaigns of the Elders on Every Human Has Rights will focus on freedom from hunger. But we will also have a completely different debate on the right to food. The food crisis, the bio fuel issue, the role of those who are buying futures in food -- it is a very complex debate. Food prices that deprive children of enough to eat become a big justice and rights issue...Climate change itself is an increasingly important justice issue, and approaches to climate change are dependent on how you define it. If you approach it as an environmentally technical issue, you will build sea walls and develop seeds that don’t need water. On the other hand, if you view it as affecting people now, of having an unjust effect on some people because of the activity of other people in other parts of the world -- in Europe and the United States and the parts of Asia that are rapidly developing it is impacting upon the poorest villages, destroying island habitats -- then it’s a big issue of justice, which is relevant to how we approach adaptation. I believe that we need adaptation to help poor communities to cope, to provide insurance for them and their livelihoods.
IPS: And do you think we’re doing enough to tackle those kinds of challenges? How can we do more?
MR: I think we need to do a lot more. I’m glad that now there is a discussion about it -- in fact, next week, I’ll be discussing the humanitarian dimensions of climate change in the Global Humanitarian Forum with Kofi Annan in Geneva. We may be looking at between 100 and 200 million climate refugees in 40 years time, and we have to be really aware of the reality of the situation. On a deeper level, we need to change how people think about human rights. We need to broaden that thinking, so that everybody who feels marginalised, excluded or fearful feels that they have human rights on their side. We haven’t quite gotten there yet. The Every Human Has Rights campaign is a people-power way of re-centring. I will be going to the World Social Forum in the Amazon in January, and I want everyone there to understand that they are all part of a campaign to re-centre human rights as the banner under which we tackle all the inequalities that we deal with.
Rally at CIVICUS World Assembly in the media
Hundreds take part in human rights march in Glasgow
Human rights march clips
Several hundred people have marched through Glasgow as part of a demonstration about human rights. Organisers are hoping the event will highlight opposition to the government's decision to allow terror suspects to be held for 42 days without charges being brought.
The BBC also featured the march:
March puts human rights in focus
Hundreds of people are taking part in a human rights march and rally in Glasgow.
The event celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
There are also protesting against the UK Government's recent decision to extend detention without charge for suspected terrorists to 42 days.
The event brings to a close the World assembly of Civicus, which has been held at Glasgow's SECC.
During the past week Civicus, the global alliance for citizen participation, has brought together more than 1,000 activists from 150 countries.
They have been in Glasgow to debate issues such as climate change, trade and pre-charge detention.
Kumi Naidoo, the outgoing secretary general of Civicus, said: "We want the people of Scotland to stand with us as we raise our concerns about vital human rights issues - such as draconian anti-terror laws, and growing poverty.
