Robinson says human rights are the key to development

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, said on Monday that human rights were the key to development in Africa, and called on the international community to do more to ensure that the continent can fully implement a human rights based approach. Recognising the many obstacles that still remain in place she admitted that it had been a difficult year for human rights across the globe. Robinson made her comments during a keynote speech in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa celebrating International Human Rights Day. It was the first time that Human Rights Day has been celebrated in Africa since the General Assembly of the UN proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. “Human rights are the key to development because it is the key to both social and economic development and a peaceful and civil society,” she said. “We must put people at the centre of that development by having a human rights based approach.” “I believe that the greatest challenge to the building of a real human rights culture in any society, lies in tackling discrimination and the endemic poverty that continues to dominate the social landscape of many parts of the world. Extreme poverty means a denial of the exercise of all human rights and undermines the dignity and worth of the individual.” But, she told an audience at the UN Economic Commission for Africa headquarters, inequalities between the developed and developing world are “not diminishing but growing”. Mrs. Robinson recognised that the “major innovations” in the international legal protection of human rights of the 20th century originated in Africa. She said many African countries had made important strides in their fight against corruption, the administration of justice and good governance. In a special note for Ethiopia Mrs. Robinson recognised the severe economic and social problems the country faced but said they could be overcome. Mrs. Robinson also took the opportunity to reiterate her concerns over human rights abuses in the fight against terrorism following the attacks on September 11. In reference to the hundreds of people who have been detained in the United States without charge she said: “We can, and must, fight terrorism while observing human rights. But, she added, “It has been suggested in some quarters that human rights considerations must take a back-seat in the struggle against terrorism. I do not share in that line of thinking. Human rights must be observed," she said, "especially in times of crisis.”