22nd session of the
Human Rights Council
High-level Panel Discussion to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme
Delivered by Renate Bloem
Thank you Mr. President,
CIVICUS wishes to thank the panelists for this great debate. For one who has participated at the World Conference it still rings in the ear, Women Rights are Human Rights. When the then Centre for Human Rights had received a petition with more than a million signatures, the World Conference coined this phrase in recognition of this milestone and initiated a visibility process for the rights of women that ran through the Beijing Conference into the many mechanisms we have today, foremost CEDAW, including UN Women, the item on this Council's agenda and tomorrow's great panel on "the Power of Empowered Women".
Hélas, we are also aware that only a few days ago the courageous campaign of "A Billion Rise" had to mobilize the world against violence against women, still so rampant in our world today and we are far from Vienna's call that the equal enjoyment by women of all human rights be a priority for Governments and the United Nations.
The so strongly reiterated confirmation of universality and indivisibility of all human rights, the freedom from want and fear, is really the most important legacy of the Vienna conference, but is also still short of realisation in many parts of the world.
However, the most effective outcome has been the creation of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The incumbent and predecessors and their Office have vastly increased the promotion and protection of human rights, the understanding of a culture of human rights as a "common language of humanity". OHCHR only needs to be more resourced to meet the expectations of millions around the world and the ever growing workload.
Mr. President, human rights are both universal and also historically defined and evolving. Whilst we are watching today people crying out for dignity and democratisation and are witnessing a global paradigm shift towards a world view that includes participatory democracy, CIVICUS would like to ask the panelists how they see this development, participatory democracy, to help overcome the conflict between "identity" and "otherness" , how it could marry universality with specificity?
Thank you for your attention
