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United Nations
Upcoming UN conference to focus on Declaration of Human Rights
19 August 2008 - Around 2000 civil society groups are slated to attend
the upcoming annual United Nations Department of Public Information
(DPI) conference on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which will
focus this year on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, a senior UN official said today.
Kiyotaka Akasaka, Under-Secretary General for Communications and
Public Information, told a press briefing that the DPI-NGO conference
will be held in Paris from 3 to 5 September, the first time the event
is being staged outside New York since it was inaugurated 61 years
ago.
Mr. Akasaka added that he hoped the new venue would provide an
opportunity to reach out to a new constituency of NGOs, particularly
those in developing countries.
The theme of this years conference will be Reaffirming Human Rights
for all the Universal Declaration at 60. Mr. Akasaka described its
focus on human rights as timely and relevant.
Key participants are expected to include former French health minister
and human rights activist Simone Veil, and Ingrid Betancourt, who was
recently released from six years in captivity in Colombia, and who
will address the conference by video link from UN headquarters. The
conference will take a different format from previous years, with
expert panels and human rights defenders taking part in round-table
discussions.
The chair of the conference, Shamina de Gonzaga, told the briefing
that while there was no pretence that the Universal Declaration has
been fully implemented, conference participants were trying to
recognize the work of NGOs, the UN and Member States in making it a
reality.
To prepare for the conference, DPI has launched a website in English
and French, designed to provide useful information to NGOs which are
participating in the conference.
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