http://www.usembassy.it/file2004_12/alia/a4120910en.htm"HUMAN RIGHTS DAY", December 10, 2004
By Mel Sembler
U.S. Ambassador to Italy
The following op-ed appeared in "La Nazione/Il Resto del Carlino/Il Giorno" on December 10, 2004
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a revolutionary document when the United Nations passed it in 1948. It remains so today. Americans take a justifiable pride in the central role that Eleanor Roosevelt played in its drafting and passage, but the UDHR comes out of and belongs to all humanity. Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly, Roosevelt predicted that it might become an ?international Magna Carta,? and in many ways it has. By one estimate, provisions of the constitutions of 90 countries can be traced to the UDHR. Its opening words resonate around the world in 2004 with the same force they did in the wake of World War II, and bear repeating: ?Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equality and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.?
The drafters of the Declaration were able to draw inspiration from heroic efforts in the post-war period to assert the primacy of human rights and the dignity of individuals. Mahatma Gandhi, who led India on its way to become the world?s largest democracy, is a vibrant example of the universality of the democratic ideal. The movement toward freedom Gandhi began and Indians completed put an end to the noxious notion that democratic governance was a luxury to be enjoyed by a few wealthy, Western nations.
Protecting freedom and human rights are part of what President Bush has called the ?non-negotiable demands of humanity.? America?s foreign policy continues to be anchored by our conviction that democracy is for everybody, and that human rights are indeed inalienable. Italian foreign policy has articulated the same vocation in different terms. Our ideals find expression in policies that seek to extend democracy and protect people?s rights as defined in the UDHR. Recently, Americans and Italians have combined forces with allies and friends to make good on our word. In Iraq, a multinational coalition with troops from over 30 countries joined with the United States to bring freedom to a people who were too long denied even its most basic elements. Iraqis will prevail. They will build their own democracy. They will enshrine their own human rights. Standing firmly with them as they do so is a commitment in keeping with American, Italian and universal values.
The same holds true for Afghanistan, where the efforts of Italy, the U.S. and other nations, along with the United Nations led to successful national elections. Like the Iraqis, Afghanis take nothing for granted. Having been denied freedom for so long, they are anything but cynical about the power and virtues of democratic governance. During those recent elections, a group of women was waiting in line in Kandahar to vote when a bomb went off near them. Security officials advised the women to go home, but they refused to leave and voted. Like the hundreds of thousands of their compatriots who stood in line for hours in heavy snow to cast their vote, those Afghan women brought the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to life.
Within our wealthy Western societies, human rights require energetic advocacy and protection as well. Here, again, Italy is a leader among nations. I salute the opening today of the new office in the Ministry of Equal Opportunities -- Ufficio Nazionale Antidiscriminazioni Razziali (UNAR) which is to receive complaints about racial and ethnic discrimination and provide judicial assistance to victims. The Italian government also established this year an interministerial committee on anti-Semitism, in addition to the existing one on human rights.
As we reflect on the UNHDR, it may be useful to remind ourselves that we have more in common than we have disagreements. The legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt and the people from around the world who worked with her at the United Nations to draft the UDHR is not just intact; it continues to be vital to all. And we honor this legacy not just year on December 10, but every day of the year.
