NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/10306

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From: [e-mail] (Rich Winkel)
Subject: CODEHUCA: UN HR conference #2
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/** carnet.alerts: 122.0 **/
** Topic: human rights conference #2 **
** Written  8:04 pm  Jan 19, 1993 by nicarao:codehuca in cdp:carnet.alerts **
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA - PRESS RELEASE 2
January 19, 1993, San Jose, Costa Rica
     With this communique, the Commission for the Defence of Human
Rights in Central America (CODEHUCA) continues its coverage of the
United Nations Regional Pre-Conference ("Pre-Con"), to the U.N.
World Conference on Human Rights, that will take place in Vienna,
in July, 1993.
     N.B. - SHORT WAVE RADIO LISTENERS - you can listen to live
coverage of the Pre-Con on short wave radio on the frequencies of:
i- 7375 khz, in the 41 metre band; ii- 7385 khz, usb, in the 41
metre band; 13630 khz, usb, in the 22 metre band; and 15030 khz in
the 19 metre band. The human rights Pre-Con will be broadcast
between 0000 - 0400 u.t.c.

OPENING OF PRE-CONFERENCE OF THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS
     With the participation of 34 Latin American and Caribbean
countries, the world pre-conference -"Pre-Con"- for Human Rights
was inaugurated.
     During the opening session, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Costa Rica, Bernard H. Niehaus considered of vital importance the
contribution that the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are
making and underlined the importance of the Pre-Con in the context
the International Year of Indigenous Peoples, by the United
Nations.
     Minister Niehaus affirmed that the committment to human rights
is one of the pillars of Costa Rican's foreign policy. He
considered as well that Human Rights should represent the back bone
of international politics. "It is not possible to conceive of
democracy without human rights, nor human rights without democracy"
he said, adding that "a free society, without justice and
development, is not possible".
     Niehaus stated that the developed world has its quota of
responsability in the matter of human rights, now that the East-
West confrontation has been replaced by the North-South
confrontation.
     He showed that the fundamental point of the World Conference
in Vienna, in June, 1993, will be to study "the relation among
development, democracy and fundamental rights".
     The Costa Rican Government proposed the creation of a United
Nations High Commission of Human Rights, whose idea had been
promoted by Uruguay in the Fifties, and taken up by Costa Rican in
the Seventies.
     The Executive Secretary of the Economic Comission for Latin
America and the Caribe (CEPAL), Gernd Rosenthal (who was absent at
the opening session, but who sent his position) coincided with the
Costa Rican Minister that it is difficult to guarantee civil and
political rights, if efforts to do the same for economic, social
and cultural rights were not forthcoming.
     In 1980, in Latin America there were 130 million people living
in poverty. 10 years later it had increased to 195 millions. The
huge question, says Rosenthal, is how to maintain the recent
progress in civil and political rights with such high  poverty
rates which, far from diminishing, are increasing day after day?
     Rosenthal affirms that development is a condition that is
necessary for the defense of civil and political rights,
particularly for the poorest sectors.
     The representative of CEPAL affirms that even though the civil
and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights are
set out in different international human rights instruments, they
must be seen in an integral vision.
     According CEPAL, growth and equity are the result of the
economic and social policy; the above must be seen in the contxt of
the indigenous peoples of Latin America, traditionally and
historically exploited.
     "If Latin America wishes to make progress in its process of
modernization, and do so with equity, this requires full
cooperation with and participation of the indigenous people", said
Rosenthal in his speech. The above means establishing mechanisms to
recognize the demand for cultural identity along with the demand
for development.
     Antoine Blanca, Vice-General Secretary of the United Nations,
in charge of the Human Rights Center and the Gereral Secretary of
the World Human Rights Conference, reminded the listeners of the
importance that the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to the Guatemalan
indigenous leader Rigoberta Mench# Tum, has had for the world.
     After congratulating Rigoberta, and reminding that she is the
Embassador of Good Will of the United Nations for the International
Year of Indigenous People of the World, Blanca referred to the
oppression, marginalization, and humiliation that the Indigenous
Peoples have suffered.
     Blanca expressed the desire that the Conference in Vienna
insist on the exercise of economic, social and cultural rights as
well as political and civil rights.
     Further on Blanca reminded that Latin America has a long
history of armed conflicts and systematic violations of human
rights, such as forced disappearance, torture, extrajudicial
executions, lack of respect for judicial norms, etc.
     He said that while in the past decade the region had been
searching for democratic methods and a return to civil society,
this did not mean that in the majority of the cases this had put an
end to systematic violations of human rights.
     He reminded the audience of what Dante Caputo, former
President of the General Assebly of the United Nations, said: "How
much poverty can the wings of liberty support?" He said this in
reference to the structural adjustment programs (SAPs) being
applied by Latin American governments that have a tremendous cost
with respect to violations of economic, social and cultural rights
- that have lead to higher levels of poverty, less health coverage,
more children in the streets, and the worsening of many more
problems.
     On the positive side, he referred to the positive role that
the United Nations is laying in El Salvador, ONUSAL.
     In the opening session of the Pre-Con there was agreement, in
theory, that democracy had to be acompanied by economic and social
development, by full respect for the rights of the Indigenous
Peoples. Moreover, the first world must accept its cuota of
responsability, especially with respect to social, cultural and
economic rights.
     End Communique 2
** End of text from cdp:carnet.alerts **