Human Rights in Larger Freedom
Rene Wadlow
Representative to the UN, Geneva, Association of World Citizens
USA
Our age which has often been so cruel, can now pride itself on having witnessed the birth of a universal human rights movement. In all walks of life brave individuals are standing up for their brothers who have been reduced to silence by oppression or poverty. Their struggle has transcended all frontiers, and their weapon is knowledge…Defending human rights today means above all bringing the most secret crimes to light. It means trying to find out and daring to speak out with complete objectivity, something which requires courage and occasionally, even heroism… The United Nations is cognizant that, for human rights to be more fully recognized and respected, the awareness and support of all are required.
- Javier Perez de Cuellar, Former Secretry-General of the United Nations
As we consider the present status of respect for human rights throughout the world, it is inevitable that we look at the large gap between the aims and the practice. It is easy to grow cynical at governmental double standards, politically selective hypocrisy and tactical alliances. Yet success in the human rights field depends on a continuing commitment to outwit those who have a vested interest in keeping the UN weak and unable to act effectively. It is important to note the land marks of progress. These are some of the victories where intense effort and creative cooperation among representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), UN Secretariat, independent experts, and a few representatives of progressive governments created awareness, got resolutions adopted, and built structures for follow up. Each case would merit a fuller analysis and character sketches of some of the players, but that would be a book rather than an article.
I list 10 victories which seem to me to be real advances. Others would no doubt make different lists, but as an NGO representative for the world citizens to the UN in Geneva, I had participated in each of these advances and knew the key players. Governments, who alone have the ability to vote UN resolutions in the end, happily take credit for advances. Yet in these cases, progress was made by ideas coming from NGO representatives, helped by UN Secretariat who must keep a "low profile" and the representatives of some governments where an issue touched them personally - and did not go against their government's policy.
1) Awareness of the rights and conditions of indigenous and tribal populations. When this issue was first raised in the early 1980s "indigenous" were considered to be only the Indians of North America who had come in force to present their case in Geneva. Some governments finally went along thinking that such analysis would be a subtle criticism of the USA without costing them anything. However, the International Labour Organization Convention N° 109 on indigenous peoples speaks of "indigenous and tribal". Thus, it was possible to raise issues of tribal groups in south-east Asia such as the Chakma of Bangladesh, who are not "indigenous" having migrated from south China over the last 2000 years but have a tribal society. Much of the advances in the field are due to the skills and dedication of Ms Erica Daes who for many years chaired the Working Group on Indigenous Populations. Now, the indigenous and tribal issues cover a wide number of countries and have moved to center stage.
2) Torture. When the use of torture was first raised in 1973, it was thought to be a rare practice limited to a small number of countries. It turns out that it is, in fact, widely used by a large number of countries. Getting torture to be a recognized issue and having the Commission on Human Rights create the post of Special Rapporteur on Torture owes much to Sean MacBride (1904-1988) at the time chairman of the Amnesty International Executive Committee (1961-1974) and Nobel Peace Prise laureate (1974). MacBride had been the Foreign Minister of Ireland (1948-1951) and knew how governments work. He had also been a long-time member of the Irish Republican Army (1917-1936) and knew well how police as well as insurgencies work. MacBride called torture an 'epidemic' perpetrated by regimes 'to control dissent and maintain power.' The well-organized campaign against torture brought together numerous NGOs to pressure governments in the UN General Assembly to take action.
3) Death Penalty. The efforts for the abolition of the death penalty also owe much to Amnesty International and its long-time Secretary-General Martin Ennals. His role, often in the background but always on key issues, is an example of how NGO impact can be made.
4) Conscientious objection to military service. Conscientious objection as a human rights was a long but successful fight on the part of a small number of NGOs such as the Quakers, the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the International Peace Bureau. It was led by the representatives of Ireland, Canada and Austria - all of which have armies but whose representatives went "that extra mile" to overcome opposition and get the resolution passed.
5) Child Soldiers. The attention now given to the human rights violations from the existence of child soldiers - both the fact that children are taken as soldiers and the human rights violations that they are forced to commit was brought to the attention of the Commission on Human Rights by the Quakers and the NGO Defense for Children. This led to the creation of a Special Representative on Children in Conflict as well as attention at the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court.
6) The Right to Housing. The right to housing and especially the destruction of houses in the process of slum clearing, often done without re-housing, owes its place on the human rights agenda to a small number of NGOs but who had dramatic examples of abuses. There is now an active Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing.
7) Freedom of Religion and Belief. It was a 20-year effort to get the adoption in 1981 of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance Based on Religion or Belief. It was an effort kept alive by a small number of States and NGOs. It is not sure that as far-reaching and complete a Declaration could be drafted today. The Declaration serves as a guideline for the right to belief in many of the current religious-based tensions.
8) The Rights of Women. It is always strange how difficult it is to get proper attention to the rights and condition of women since they are half and probably more of humanity. Nevertheless, it has been a long effort largely carried by NGOs. It is a multifaceted effort and was helped by a series of UN-sponsored conferences on women. Geneva-based NGOs such as the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom have played key roles. The concept that women exist and thus have rights has brought together NGOs who are often divided on other issues.
9) Systematic rape. The awareness of systematic rape as a crime against humanity has grown as part of the broader effort on the equality of women mentioned in point 8. Many of the NGOs concerned with equality of women have been concerned with domestic violence as well. Thus, they reacted strongly to reports of systematic rape during the conflicts in former Yugoslavia. This issue has also been raised concerning the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, and in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
10) Human Rights Defenders. I leave for last our auto-defense: the efforts to protect human rights defenders on the front lines. Raising human rights issues in a good number of countries can get you into trouble. Even writing to Amnesty International is not a danger-free practice in some places. The killing in Moscow of Anna Politkovskaia, a journalist critical of the conflict in Chechena, is a symbol of all those on the front lines of human rights efforts. Thanks to NGO efforts, the UN has created a Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders - a constant reminder to governments and in some cases non-governmental militias that they are being watched
All these victors are fragile, and there are governments who would want them reversed or forgotten. But, we can welcome these advances, remember those whose drive, skills and determination helped bring forward these issues which many would have left in the dark. We need to prepare for the next battles which are not far away.
For International Year of Biodiversity World Citizens Propose Planting Trees of Life
Rene Wadlow
Representative to the UN, Geneva, Association of World Citizens
USA
Listen for whispers from the woods, and wisdom will come.
The United Nations General Assembly, in Resolution 61/203; has proclaimed 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. The resolution, marking the UN Convention on Biodiversity was passed prior to the holding of the December 2009 Copenhagen Climate Conference which highlighted the interactions between global vegetation and climate, the negative effects of deforestation on climate, the importance of vegetation feedbacks on global warming, and the extent to which forests create their own micro-climatic influence.
Denmark was an appropriate location for this emphasis on the role of woods and forests acting for the benefit of the planet. In Scandinavian mythology, the Great World Tree, Yggdrasil, is the tree of existence, the tree of life and knowledge. Care of the tree is entrusted to three maidens named Urdhr (Past), Vervandi (Present) and Skuld (Future). From this tree springs forth our visible universe. On the topmost branch of this tree sits an eagle, who symbolizes light and whose keen eyes see all things taking place in the world. The tree is the cosmic pillar that supports heaven and at the same time opens the road to the world of the gods. The tree permits an opening either upward (the divine world) or downward (the underworld). The three cosmic levels — earth, heaven, the underworld — have been put into communication.
In the myths and legends of other cultures, we also find the importance of the tree as a symbol of life with its roots underground, its trunk in the world of humans and its top-most branches touching the sky. Branches are compared to steps or a ladder and so are a way by which the hero climbs, through initiations, to higher consciousness. It is under the protecting branches of a tree that the Buddha reached enlightenment. The loss of the leaves of a tree and their renewal has served as the symbol of death and regeneration. The tree is a living symbol. A grove of trees was often considered sacred and the sanctuary where religious rituals were carried out.
In the grove of trees of life, animals also have symbolic meaning, such as the eagle in the Scandinavian myths. Birds represent the element air, and a snake, thought to live underground among the roots, a symbol of the earth or the link to the world of after life. This symbolism of animals in a tree grove was stressed by A.J. Wensinck in his study Tree and bird as cosmological symbols in Western Asia. For African examples see the extensive research of Viviana Paques.L’Arbre Cosmique Dans Le Pensée Populaire et Dans La Vie Quotidienne Du Nord-Ouest Africain. In the Bhagavad Gita, the tree is the symbol of the person and his destiny, a symbol also used by Plato as well as in the Kabalist Zohar.
Thus the tree is an appropriate symbol for the integration of human, animal and plant life in a system of biodiversity. The planting and care of a tree is a ritual of respect for biodiversity and a way to overcome the sense of separation from nature which many humans feel. Societies have often taught its members to fear nature or to conquer nature — an understandable attitude in earlier stages of human evolution. However, today, this disconnection from nature produces dysfunctions and environmental, social and mental problems. Re-contacting with nature can produce joy, regeneration and community bonding.
This feeling of harmony with nature is what the former Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson called “biophilia” — connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life. Our natural senses are designed to bring our being into harmony, fulfilment and community with the world. As Wilson wrote “wilderness settles peace on the soul.”
Obviously, there are many different aspects to the protection of biodiversity, measures which need to be undertaken within the United Nations system (1), by national governments and by local authorities. However, individual action is necessary and important. The planting of a tree both individually and as a group effort is an important sign of respect for biodiversity and thus a contribution to the International Year of Biodiversity. Each planting can be accompanied by the thoughts, emotions and words considered appropriate.
Each tree is a living symbol of respect for nature and a positive contribution to world citizenship.
(1) For more information on UN activities, see the UN website for the International Year of Biodiversity: www.cbd.int/2010.