SUA Celebrates Human Rights Day at the United Nations Office in New York
“Human Rights Day” is at the center of a week of special events at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York. On 10 December, the UN Human Rights Office, the wider UN community and many organizations observed this memorable day. The Syriac Universal Alliance (SUA) was also among the participants.
Since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, all the nations of the world celebrate annually “Human Rights Day.” This year’s theme was captured in the slogan “Embrace diversity, End discrimination.”
The opening words of the UDHR read: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” They are the basic premise of international human rights law. Since its beginning, the UN has set as a major goal to “reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person.”
The fight against discrimination and the violation of human rights in many countries is still continuing. SUA is also part of this struggle for justice, recognition and equality of peoples who have been oppressed, persecuted, marginalized and silenced.
SUA continues this fight, on behalf of the Aramean (Syriac) people, among other things by raising awareness and participating in UN meetings on human rights subjects. Two recent examples are the speech delivered at the Forum on Minority Issues UN Office in Geneva on 12-13 November and the celebration on 20 November at the UN Headquarters in New York of its 10th anniversary as a Non-Governmental Organization in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN.
SUA’s NGO Delegate
As SUA’s NGO representative to New York, Basil Oezkaya attended a special event of Human Rights Day on “Race, poverty and power,” which included world leaders like the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon himself (photos 2 & 3), who stressed in his speech that:
“Around the world, in every country, discrimination remains widespread. We see it against women, against migrants and minorities, against those with disabilities. We see institutional racism, gender stereotyping and full-blown ethnic wars. Whatever form it takes, discrimination continues to have a corrosive effect on societies, decades after it was banned by international law. On Human Rights Day, we must challenge ourselves to fight discrimination at every level, every day, in every way possible.”
Mr. Ki-moon further emphasized that: “The principles of equality and non-discrimination are fundamental elements of human rights law. Racial discrimination has been universally prohibited for many years. Every State has an obligation to fight racism...Those who have power – including many of us here today – must make it a priority to end poverty and racism...Those who may be members of dominant groups in a country should not abuse their power at the expense of minorities...Ethnic majorities must make room for the so-called ‘other’.”
Following the Secretary-General’s speech, other panel members gave speeches, including Ms. Gay McDougall, the UN’s Independent Expert on Minority Issues. After the discussion Mr. Oezkaya spoke to Ms. McDougall about the plight of the Aramean people. She recalled meeting him and the SUA Geneva NGO team from the recent meeting on Minority Rights, at the UN Office in Geneva, commenting: “Of course I remember you and the Syriac Universal Alliance! You guys are really everywhere. Keep up this great work for your people.”
Mr. Oezkaya has been invited by the Deputy Director of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Craig G. Mokhiber, to discuss human rights and related issues that concern the Aramean people. He will hold other meetings with UN Delegates from different countries to inform them about Aramean questions and difficulties.
Basil Oezkaya
11 December, 2009
SUA Main Representative to the UN Headquarters in New York
Download the full report here.
