International Human Rights Day

On December 10, 1948, world leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly and affirmed the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all people. In adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the international community committed to building a world where all people are “born free and equal in dignity and rights” and are entitled to liberty, equality, and justice under the law. As we celebrate Human Rights Day more than six decades after the adoption of this cornerstone document, we reaffirm our commitment to promoting and protecting its fundamental truths.

We do so by advancing the universal freedoms enshrined in the UDHR, including the freedom to speak, the freedom to assemble, and the freedom to worship. When governments seek to deny these liberties through repressive laws and blunt force, we stand against this oppression and with people around the world as they defend their rights. These rights are complementary and mutually reinforcing. As I said in Dublin, religious freedom is about people being able to practice their faith, but it is also about the right of people to think what they want, say what they think, associate with others, and assemble peacefully without the state looking over their shoulders or prohibiting them from doing so. It is neither necessary nor acceptable to sacrifice one right in the name of another.

We seek to protect these rights at home and advocate for them abroad because doing so is central to our identity, a source of our influence in the world, and essential to our national interests. As President Obama and I have said, governments that respect human rights and reflect the will of their people are more stable, secure and prosperous over the long run, and better allies for the United States. Human rights cannot be disconnected from other priorities. They are inextricably linked with all of the goals we strive for at home and around the world. The Universal Declaration is not just a catalog of rights and government obligations. It is a time-tested blueprint for successful societies.

We celebrate Human Rights Day every December, but advancing freedom and human rights is our daily work. Those of us lucky enough to live in countries like the United States have an extra responsibility, first, to remain vigilant in ensuring that we honor and implement our own commitment to human rights at home, and second, to help others gain what we have - the chance to live in dignity. We will continue to uphold and advance these fundamental freedoms both on and offline; we will continue to speak out about oppression wherever it occurs; we will continue to foster tolerance; and we will continue to work toward building a more just and peaceful world.

"Entrepreneurship for Development"

Amb Prosor on UN resolution "Entrepreneurship for Development"
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs - The State of Israel
8 Dec 2012

By a vote of 129 in favor, 31 against and 9 abstentions, the UN General Asembly adopted an Israeli-sponsored resolution on Entrepreneurship for Development in the developing world.

The resolution is designed to advance entrepreneurship as a catalyst for development, and calls for the creation of conditions favorable to entrepreneurs, education, and removing bureaucratic impediments to the establishment of businesses.

This is the first time that the United Nations adopted a resolution on the subject of entrepreneurship as a new means to meet the challenges of poverty and to create growth and jobs. Israel initiated and presented the resolution as the head of a group of almost 100 nations.

A growing consensus on the critical role of entrepreneurship in economic development is emerging. Studies from around the world are consistently linking entrepreneurship with stable, sustainable job creation and GDP growth. But the benefits of encouraging entrepreneurship go beyond pure economics. As individuals become more self]sufficient, and more empowered, they are more likely to seek higher levels of education and better living conditions for themselves and their children. As President Kagame of Rwanda has said: "Entrepreneurship is the surest way for a nation to meet its goals and to develop prosperity for the greatest number of people."

If we are to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, we must work towards developing human capital in all countries and societies, and across sectors. Entrepreneurship has the power to help build societies in which people have the confidence, skill and desire to solve problems they see around them. By creating new businesses that provide desired goods and services, or by using entrepreneurial principles to create social ventures, entrepreneurs around the world have a unique ability to find solutions to poverty, improve social conditions, and confront environmental degradation.

Around the world, particularly in developing countries, aspiring entrepreneurs often face overwhelming challenges when starting up their business. This may be because of difficult regulatory frameworks, high administrative burdens, a lack of financial support, or entrenched social barriers.

Governments, civil society, academia and the private sector all have an important role to play in supporting entrepreneurship and enabling people to exercise their talents. A multi-stakeholder approach to promoting entrepreneurship is necessary to prepare future entrepreneurs and leaders to solve more complex, interlinked, and fast-changing problems.

Over 3.5 million people in drought-hit areas of Africa to receive food relief from UN

In Zimbabwe, WFP is working to combat food insecurity by providing general food distributions to the at-risk populations. Photo: WFP/R. Lee

The United Nations food relief agency today announced it is scaling up its efforts to assist more than 3.5 million people in drought-hit areas of southern Africa, particularly in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, who are now facing the start of the hunger season.

“Large numbers of smallholder farmers and their families are in the grip of what is set to be one of the harshest hunger seasons of recent years,” said the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Deputy Regional Director for Southern Africa, Brenda Barton.

“With the help of governments, donors and regional organizations, we’re mobilizing resources to help the most vulnerable, not only with food distributions,” she added, “but also with innovative solutions like cash transfers via mobile phones so people can buy their own food.”

Erratic rainfall during the last planting season meant that harvests in many areas were not sufficient to sustain the nutritional needs of farming communities this year and, even where food is available in local markets, it is

General Assembly grants Palestine non-member observer State status at UN

The General Assembly today voted to grant Palestine non-member observer State status at the United Nations, while expressing the urgent need for the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians leading to a permanent two-State solution.

The resolution on the status of Palestine in the UN was adopted by a vote of 138 in favour to nine against with 41 abstentions by the 193-member Assembly.

“We did not come here seeking to delegitimize a State established years ago, and that is Israel; rather we came to affirm the legitimacy of the State that must now achieve its independence, and that is Palestine,” the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, told the Assembly before the vote.

Mr. Abbas noted that the world was being asked today to undertake a significant step in the process of rectifying the “unprecedented historical injustice” inflicted on the Palestinian people since 1948.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SALUTES SIERRA LEONE CITIZENS ON SUCCESSFUL, PEACEFUL ELECTIONS, WELCOMES RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT’S PLEDGE TO PROMOTE NATIONAL UNITY

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General congratulates President Ernest Bai Koroma and the people and institutions of Sierra Leone on the successful and peaceful elections held on 17 November 2012, which clearly demonstrated the people’s strong commitment to consolidating democracy and development.

The Secretary-General emphasizes the importance of all Sierra Leoneans working together in the period ahead.  In that regard, the Secretary-General welcomes President Koroma’s pledge to reach out to all Sierra Leoneans and to promote national reconciliation and unity.

At this time, the Secretary-General stresses the responsibility of Sierra Leone’s political leaders for maintaining the atmosphere of calm that has prevailed so far during the election process.  He urges all sides to address any outstanding grievances peacefully and through established national mechanisms and institutions.

The Secretary-General is confident that the strong partnership between the United Nations and Sierra Leone will continue in the best interest of the people of Sierra Leone.

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES REGIONAL STATES TO SEIZE ‘RARE OPPORTUNITY’, CONVENE CONFERENCE, MAKE MIDDLE EAST ZONE FREE OF ALL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

The following statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was issued on 24 November:

I reaffirm my firm resolve and commitment together with the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, in consultation with the States of the region, to convene a conference, to be attended by all States of the Middle East, on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at by the States of the region.

I have worked closely with the co-conveners to support the facilitator, Jaakko Laajava.  He has conducted intensive consultations with the States of the region to prepare the convening of the conference in 2012.  I have also personally engaged with the States of the region at the highest level to underline the importance of the conference in promoting long-term regional stability, peace and security on the basis of equality.

I have taken note of the national statements issued by the co-conveners.  I wish to reaffirm the collective responsibility of the conveners to make every effort to convene the conference, as mandated.  I will continue to work with them on that basis.  I fully support the proposal by the facilitator to conduct multilateral consultations in the shortest possible time which will allow the conference to be convened at the earliest opportunity in 2013.  I reaffirm my strong support for the facilitator and for Finland as the host Government for the conference and express my deep appreciation for their continuing efforts.

I encourage all States of the region to continue their constructive engagement with the facilitator.  I also appeal to them to seize this rare opportunity to initiate a process that entails direct engagement on security issues — a critical shortcoming at the moment — and follow-on steps leading to achieving the complete elimination of all weapons of mass destruction in the region, nuclear, chemical and biological and their delivery systems.