PEACE AND COOPERATION AND THE SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

THE RIGHT TO WATER FROM A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE

The Hispanic-Bulgarian Center houses the exposition of children's drawings "Water for All" Madrid
9 December 2008

The works can be bought through bids and the funds collected will be destined to an AIDS prevention project in Sudan.

Dozens of people came to the Hispanic-Bulgarian Center to attend the opening of the children's drawings exposition "Water for All", and to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The event brought together representatives from the diplomatic delegations from Afghanistan, Andorra, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Oman, the Czech Republic and Sudan, as well as representatives from the German, Ghanean, the Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Slovakian, Mauritanian, Belgian, Dutch, Luxemburg, Palestinian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian and Turkish Embassies.  Among the attendants were also Drs. Henry Chávez and Anka Moldovan, advisors from the Immigration and Cooperation Committee from the Community of Madrid, Javier Fernández-Lasquetty and Dr. Carlos Martínez de Campos, the President of Barclay Spain, Dr. Fernando de Salas, the President of the Spanish Foundation of International Studies, Dr. Francisco José Alonso Rodríguez, the President of the Spanish League for Human Rights, Dr. Iván Arjona, the President of the Church of Scientology in Spain and Dr. María Milagros Calvo, the first woman magistrate of the Supreme Court, as well as representatives from the World Association of Child Educators, the International Inter-religious Federation for World Peace, the Association for Religious Liberty and the Brahma Kumaris Association.  The exposition "Water for All" consists of 33 drawings done by children from 7 to 18 years old from all parts of the world as diverse as China, Thailand, the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Argentina, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Serbia, Macedonia, Ukrania, the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal, among others.  The sample consists of a careful selection of the best works submitted from a total of 6,000, in the last edition of the School Award, given annually by the Peace and Cooperation Foundation.  This year the theme of the contest focused on the importance of access to water with the aim of sensitizing teachers and students and making citizens conscious of access to water and to sanitation as an emerging human right.  The United Nations warns that lack of water is a major obstacle to development and that there are already more than 1.1 billion people who live without access to clean water.

All the drawings on display in the Hispanic-Bulgarian Center can be bought by sending an offer via e-mail to: pazycooperacion@hotmail.com or a letter to:  Peace and Cooperation Foundation, c/ Meléndez Valdés, 68 -4º, Madrid 28015.  All funds collected will be put towards an AIDS prevention project in Sudan.  The results of the auction will be published January 7, 2009 at 12:00 in the Hispanic-Bulgarian Center.  To make a donation, the account number is the following: BBVA 0182 7594 30 020 0017 906 (c/ Marqués de Urquijo, 13).

The exposition is open to the public until January 31 during regular opening hours at the Hispanic-Bulgarian Center:  Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 20:00 uninterupted; Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00. The awards ceremony for the contest will be held February 7, 2009 by the Peace and Cooperation Foundation, in the Iranian city of Mashad.  In previous years it was held in Madrid, Panama City and Cairo.  The awarding of the Extraordinary Prize to the Madrid Public Elementary School, Amadeo Vives, will take place on January 29 at 12:00 in the Fernando de los Ríos Cultural Center.

Peace and Cooperation, created in 1982, is a non-governmental organization with special consultative status with the United Nations centered on the promotion of a non-violent movement and creativity to construct a united world.  The foundation puts special emphasis on the key areas of disarmament, development, human rights, united actions and worldwide education.

Photographs of the exposition's opening and of the works are attached, as well as additional information about the Peace and Cooperation School  Award.  

Guergana Tsenova
Press and  External Relations Officer
Hispanic Bulgarian Center
guergana.tsenova@centrohispanobulgaro.com
www.centrohispanobulgaro.com 

COMMEMORATIVE SESSION ON THE OCCASION OF THE SIXTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Geneva, 12 December 2008

In representation of the Federation of Associations of Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, of which I am vice president, I attended the above mentioned meeting.  The brilliant event was celebrated in the Alliance of Civilizations Hall of Miquel Barceló.

Before starting, I had the opportunity to greet Ambassador Garrigues and an advisor, Gómez de Olea, from the permanent mission of Spain.

Children from the international school of Geneva read the 30 articles in different languages.  Next, the committee's member states spent a while on interventions.  Organizations of states such as the Group of 77, Arab countries and the European Union were first, and independent states intervened afterward.  As a brief summary of four hours of interventions, it is necessary to point out that no one mentioned Iraq or Afghanistan and that while Arab and unaligned countries underlined the flagrant anomaly that Palestine represents, western countries were focused on the situation in Zimbabwe.  It is also important to note that while some countries like China highlighted material gains and Cuba was aggravated against the speculators, others spoke of democracy and liberty.  Economic and social rights were the main priority for some, at the same time that the values of individual liberty, association and the right to free expression, the fight against corruption and torture were the primary focus for others.  In this sense it is worth highlighting the intervention of the Swedish Ambassador.

Sixty years after the world was once again shown to be divided between those who claim justice and those who claim liberty.  Next, some shorts about human rights were projected while delegates and observers attended a reception put on by the commissions from Azerbaijan, Brazil, China, Mexico, Senegal and Switzerland. The afternoon session commenced with a choir performance by the international school of Geneva and a reading of a message from Nelson Mandela done by a young scholar from this school while diverse images of Madiba were projected.  Afterward, in the most solemn moment of the ceremony, Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, took the floor.  He was clearly upset by a meeting he had had with one of the Mothers of May from Buenos Aires, showing that human rights are personified in people and that those who defend this cause deserve all the recognition in the world from humanity.  He also invited the entire world community, governments and civilians to be protagonists for this noble cause.  He assured that the United Nations are imbued with the principles of the Declaration that are derived from the San Francisco Charter.

The intervention by Ms. Navanethem Pillay, High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights, followed.  Like Gandhi, she is a South African Hindu. She demonstrated that her cosmopolitan vision is centered on four points: Universality; Indivisibility; Interdependence among security, development and respect for the same; and Responsibility of all the states to meet these obligations that derive from human rights.  She pointed out that these principles are collected in the constitutions of more than 90 countries.  She insisted on the close relationship between fundamental liberties and social justice.  She underscored the full validity of all the articles.  She demanded that the rights of refugees, missing persons and the disabled be defended.  Lastly, she praised the work done by voluntary organizations, educators, students, lawyers, politicians and the mass media to promote the ideals of justice and equality for everyone.  In her opinion, in today's world, no one can consider themselves satisfied.  "We have many challenges before us.  We have to continue down the traveled path without losing our footing.”

After this culminating moment there was a long, well-articulated and literary speech by a French vice-minister that was heavily applauded by the NGOs. Various ministers and vice-ministers insisted on the same subjects that had already been mentioned in accordance with their diverse approach and in the name of Spain, the Secretary of State for External Affairs, Mr. Losada, reminded us that the Spanish Constitution includes the Universal Declaration and that, among other measures of technical character, the government had approved the National Plan of Human Rights that same Friday, in the Committee of Ministers, that according to their words, has been elaborated on in permanent consultation and consensus with civil society.

At six in the afternoon, the civilian organizations were given the opportunity to speak, and it is worth highlighting the vibrant words of the Secretary General of Amnesty International, the Pakistani Irene Khan, who rubbed salt in the open wound of the flagrant violations of human rights all over the world by urging international public opinion to back her campaigns in support of prisoners of conscience and against torture.  Others, such as the League of Human Rights and an indigenous organization stated that the words of amnesty weren't just a simple fable, but a tragic reality. This long commemorative session, that constitutes another milestone in the long march of human rights towards a more dignified, just and united world, was closed as such, between lights and shadows.

Joaquín Antuña
President of the Peace and Cooperation Foundation
pazycooperacion@hotmail.com
www.peaceandcooperation.org