Human Rights: The Unfinished Task
Human Rights: The Unfinished Task
It is freedom of expression that guarantees the rights of individuals, minorities, the collective and the community. Any suggestion that freedom of expression is a luxury of the West insults the historic struggles of individuals and communities all over the world for the dignity and well-being of their kind, for social fulfilment, equality of opportunity, equitable sharing of resources, access to shelter, nourishment and health. Such claims are an attempt to diminish our humanity, to reduce us to marginal existence even within our own societies. It is a clear vote for the party of Power against the communality of Freedom.
Wole Soyinka, Nigerian writer, Nobel laureate in literature
The UNESCO Courier, March 1994
Content:
- Human rights: the birthright of humanity, by Federico Mayor
- The U-word, by Ibrahima Fall
- NGOs: thefight to be heard, by Sophie Bessis
- One and indivisible, by Antoine Bernard
- Free speech-democracy's watchdog, by Helen Darbishire
- States of bondage, by Manfred Nowak
- Seedplot for the future, by Stéphane Hessel
- A new departure, by Alois Mock
- The rights of all, by Francine Fournier