Human Rights Day 2020, 10 December

 

UN CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY
VIRTUAL CONCERT IN CELEBRATION OF
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
FEATURING COMPOSERS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS

 

VIRTUAL GLOBAL LAUNCH: UNITED NATIONS
Thursday, 10 December 2020
7pm Eastern Standard Time (New York)


WATCH THE PERFORMANCE: UNITED NATIONS

 

“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home -- so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. [...] Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

 

In celebration of Human Rights Day on 10 December 2020, the UN Chamber Music Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council (UNCMS), will perform a concert – to celebrate the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).  The UDHR is a milestone document proclaiming the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world.

 

The music programme will feature and celebrate musical works by female composers and composers of minority communities, representing an artistic tapestry of composers from diverse backgrounds.  By celebrating the works of composers from diverse backgrounds, we help to realign the world of classical music with its nuanced history, while expanding notions of what is considered conventional in classical music – symbolizing our hopes of building bridges of understanding of human rights.  Founded in 2016, the UN Chamber Music Society is dedicated to promoting the United Nations' goals and values at large - through the universal language of music.

 

Support the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
https://donatenow.ohchr.org/

 

 

PROGRAMME

 

Opening Messages
 

Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and Head of the Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in New York 

 

Derrick León Washington
Senior Regional Human Rights Fellow at the Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in New York

 

Ndaba Mandela
Founder & Chairman of Mandela Institute for Humanity

 

 

UN Chamber Music Society
of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council
Brenda Vongova, Artistic Director

 

 

Featuring
Carol Wincenc (Flutist)  ● Nancy Allen (NY Philharmonic Harpist) ●  Velléda Miragias (Boston Philharmonic Cellist)  ●  Charles Neidich (Clarinetist)  ●  Ayaka Oshima (Clarinetist)  ●   Opus Illuminate

 

Music Programme
 

GRACE MOORE (2008 - ) Summer (arr. for the UN Chamber Music Society)
Derek Louie (Cello), Amir Farsi (Flute), Keeheon Nam (Clarinet), Brenda Vongova (Piano)

 

GERMAINE TAILLEFERRE (1892 – 1983) Pastorale for Flute and Harp
Professor Carol Wincenc (Flute), Nancy Allen (Principal Harpist, NY Philharmonic)


SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR (1875 - 1912) Petite Suite de Concert, Op. 77: II. Demande et reponse
David Strongin (Violin), Brenda Vongova (Piano)


CHARLES NEIDICH (1953 - ) "Why"
Charles Neidich (Clarinet), Ayako Oshima (Clarinet)

 

 

FRANCISCA GONZAGA (1847 - 1935) Atraente (arr. Guilherme Andreas)
Professor Carol Wincenc (Flute), Velléda Miragias (Associate Principal Cellist, Boston Philharmonic)

 

 

JOSEPH BOLOGNE CHEVALIER DE SAINT-GEORGES (1745-1799) String Quartet in D, Opus 1, No. 6, Mvmt. 1
Opus Illuminate: Nathan Meltzer (Violin), Phoenix Avalon (Violin), Devin Moore (Viola), Derek Louie (Cello)
 

 

 

SPECIAL THANKS

 

UN Department of Global Communications

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in New York

Katarina Mansson

 

 

New York Philharmonic
Very Young Composers

Professor Carol Wincenc
 

Opus Illuminate
National Arts Diversity Integration Association (NADIA)
 

Artwork of Poster: Peter Mah

 

VERY SPECIAL THANKS

 

Jacob Sachs-Mishalanie, Audio Engineer

 

Rebecca Bai, Video Editor

World Press Freedom Day - 3 May

Theme 2012:
New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. It is an opportunity to:

• celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom;
• assess the state of press freedom throughout the world;
• defend the media from attacks on their independence;
• pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The recent uprisings in some Arab States have highlighted the power of the media, the human quest for freedom of expression and the confluence of press freedom and freedom of expression through various traditional and new media.
This has given rise to an unprecedented level of media freedom. New media have enabled civil society, young people and communities to bring about massive social and political transformations by self-organizing, and engaging the global youth in the fight to be able to freely express themselves and the aspirations of their wider communities.
Yet, media freedom is fragile, and it is also not yet within the reach of everyone. Furthermore, as more reporting is transmitted online, more and more online journalists including bloggers are being harnessed, attacked and even killed for their work.

 

 

Freedom of Expression, a Human Right

Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right as stated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

Media freedom and access to information feed into the wider development objective of empowering people. Empowerment is a multi-dimensional social and political process that helps people gain control over their own lives. This can only be achieved through access to accurate, fair and unbiased information, representing a plurality of opinions, and the means to actively communicate vertically and horizontally, thereby participating in the active life of the community.

2011 in figures

• 66 journalists killed
• 71 journalists kidnapped
• 1,044 journalists arrested
• 1,959 journalists physically attacked or threatened
• 499 media censored
• 68 countries subject to Internet censorship

Source: Reporters Without Borders

However, in order to make freedom of expression a reality, there must be:

• a legal and regulatory environment that allows for an open and pluralistic media sector to emerge;
• a political will to support the sector and rule of law to protect it;
• laws ensuring access to information, especially information in the public domain; and
• the necessary media literacy skills among news consumers to critically analyze and synthesize the information they receive to use it in their daily lives and to hold the media accountable for its actions.

These elements, along with media professionals adhering to the highest ethical and professional standards designed by practitioners, serve as the fundamental infrastructure on which freedom of expression can prevail. On this basis media serves as a watchdog, civil society engages with authorities and decision-makers, information flows through and between communities.

Freedom of Information

The fuel that drives this engine is information and therefore access to information is critical. Freedom of information laws, which permit access to public information are essential, but so are the means by which information is made available, be it through ICTs or the simple sharing of documents.
Information can change the way we see the world around us, our place in it, and how to adjust our lives in order to maximize the benefits available through our local resources. Fact driven decision-making can significantly alter our political, social and economic perspectives. Therefore, open and pluralistic media are, perhaps, most precious when they simply provide the mirror for society to see itself. These moments of reflection are instrumental in defining community objectives, making course corrections when society or its leaders have lost touch with each other or gone astray.
The right to access information can be interpreted within the legal frameworks that support freedom of information as it applies to information held by public bodies, or in a wider sense to encompass both access and circulation of information held by other actors, where it becomes intrinsically linked to freedom of expression.
Freedom of information and the transparency it promotes, has a direct consequence on fighting corruption, which in turn has a tangible impact on development. Former World Bank president James Wolfensohn often identified government corruption as the primary hindrance to development and an independent media sector as the number one tool to fight public corruption.

Press Freedom and Governance

Ensuring freedom for the media around the world is a priority. Independent, free and pluralistic media are central to good governance in democracies that are young and old. Free media:

• can ensure transparency, accountability and the rule of law;
• promote participation in public and political discourse, and
• contribute to the fight against poverty.

An independent media sector draws its power from the community it serves and in return empowers that community to be full a partner in the democratic process.
Freedom of information and freedom of expression are the founding principles for open and informed debate. New technology will continue to evolve and allow citizens to further shape their media environments as well as access a plurality of sources. The combination of access to information and citizen participation in media can only contribute to an increased sense of ownership and empowerment.