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Ban Ki-moon in call for respect for human rights
2007-12-11 10:03:58
By Rose Mwalongo
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on nations to ensure that the International Conventional on Human Rights is part and parcel of everyone`s daily lives.
The UN boss made the remarks yesterday in his speech to mark the International Human Rights Day, which was issued yesterday in Dar es Salaam.
The ceremony to mark the day in Dar es Salaam was attended by diplomats, human rights activists, civil society organisations, non-governmental organizations and the media.
Ki-moon`s statement was issued through the United Nations Information Office in the country.
The UN chief said the human rights convention was important now as it was when it was initially promulgated, saying it was sad to note that some people in the world never gained anything from it.
``This is our chance to ensure that rights are known, realised and every individual gets it wherever they are. Let`s not forget that those who need protection of their rights are the ones who should know the presence of the convention and should be aware that the convention is there for them,`` said Ki-moon in his statement.
Speaking earlier, Kyela legislator Dr. Harrison Mwakyembe, who was the guest of honour, said the greatest human rights challenge increasingly facing the world today was poverty and the resolve to fight it.
``The fight against poverty, deprivation and exclusion is, in other words, the fight for social and economic rights for all and, invariably, the fight for human rights in general,`` he said.
Mwakyembe hailed human rights organisations in the country and urged them to go to rural areas
``Human rights awareness levels in Tanzania are grossly uneven, with the bulk of our people living in rural areas believing that basic human rights, such as the right to a decent standard of living, food, essential health care, opportunities for education are not rights but matters of compassion, of charity,`` he said.
He called on the society to join hands with the government to fight corruption, adding that it was a shared responsibility.
The event was organised by the Southern African Human Rights NGO Tanzania Chapter (SAHRINGON).
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