International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Mission Staff Members 2016, March 25.

International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members, 25 March.

Día Internacional de Solidaridad con los miembros del personal detenidos o desaparecidos, 25 de marzo.

Journée internationale de solidarité avec les membres du personnel détenus ou portés disparus, 25 mars.

声援被拘留或失踪工作人员国际日, 3月25日.

Международный день солидарности с сотрудниками, содержащимися под стражей и пропавшими без вести, 25 марта.

 

 اليوم العالمي للتضامن مع المعتقلين وأعضاء هيئة التدريس، 25 مارس المفقودين.

 

 

 

 

United Nations Secretary-General’s Message for the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Mission Staff Members 2016, March 25.

Last month, we received the tragic confirmation of the killing of our colleague Amer al-Kaissy in Iraq some nine months after he had been abducted. I repeat my condemnation of this despicable murder and my call on the Iraqi authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

On this International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff, I urge intensified efforts to bring all perpetrators of such heinous crimes to justice, and to end impunity.

Last year, six United Nations personnel were abducted and held hostage by non-State actors before being released. Twenty United Nations civilian personnel remain in detention. Five personnel are held by Member States without any reasons given for the arrests.

This unacceptable silence jeopardizes the individuals concerned while undermining the larger mission of the United Nations. Personnel, especially those deployed under dangerous conditions, deserve full protection and rights. Some are local staff striving to advance progress in their own countries. Others are far from their respective homes and families. All represent the best of the United Nations.

I call on all parties to respect the rights, privileges and immunities of United Nations personnel.  I also remind national authorities of their responsibility for protecting all UN personnel and preventing violations against them.

All States must also support the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel as well as the 2005 Optional Protocol to the Convention, which extends legal protection to other humanitarian workers.

Among the many who were affected by the death of Mr. al-Kaissy, one friend wrote in tribute a pledge to carry on his vital work. This moving response testifies to the tenacity and commitment of United Nations staff, who deserve full protection as they strive to fulfil our mission to foster development, peace and human rights around the world.

Ban Ki-moon

United Nations.

 

Remember the Fallen

 

 

 

 

 

Remember the Fallen : Serving the cause of peace in a violent world is a dangerous occupation.  Since the founding of the United Nations, hundreds of brave men and women have lost their lives in its service.

 

Documents

• Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel (A/RES/49/59)
• Optional Protocol to the Convention (A/60/518, annex)
• Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations (A/RES/22 (I))

 

 

 

International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims 2016, 24 March

اليوم العالمي للحق في معرفة الحقيقة حول الانتهاكات الجسيمة لحقوق الإنسان والكرامة للضحايا، 24 مارس.

Международный день права на установление истины  в отношении грубых нарушений прав человека и достоинства жертв, 24 марта.

 

International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, 24 March.

 

Día Internacional del Derecho a la Verdad en relación con Violaciones Graves de los Derechos Humanos y de la Dignidad de las Víctimas, 24 de marzo.

 

Journée internationale pour le droit à la vérité en ce qui concerne les violations flagrantes des droits de l'homme et pour la dignité des victimes 24 mars.

 

了解严重侵犯人权行为真相权利和维护受害者尊严国际日, 3月24日.

 

 

 

 

 

UN Secretary-General's Message for the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims 2016, March 24.


This annual observance pays tribute to the memory of Monsignor Óscar Arnulfo Romero, who was murdered on 24 March 1980. Monsignor Romero was actively engaged in denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable individuals in El Salvador.
Across the world, every victim has the right to kn...ow the truth about violations that affected her or him. But the truth also has to be told for the benefit of all people and communities as a vital safeguard against the recurrence of violations. The right to the truth is closely linked to the right to justice.

To advance this effort, the UN supports fact-finding missions, commissions of inquiry, mapping exercises, and truth commissions, which document human rights violations and make recommendations to ensure accountability, reconciliation, and other reforms.

Throughout the world, from Colombia to Tunisia, from Mali to Sri Lanka, from Nepal to South Sudan, the United Nations has advocated for inclusive and genuine consultations with victims and affected groups, especially women, girls and those who are far too often excluded and marginalized. Their meaningful participation must be ensured in all relevant stages of transitional justice processes, and their specific needs must be fully recognized in any reparation measures.

Securing the testimonies of victims and witnesses is also essential to ensuring the rights to know the truth and to justice. Appropriate mechanisms for the protection of victims and witnesses, including their physical and psychological integrity, privacy, and dignity, must be put in place.

Moreover, the preservation of archives and other documentation relating to human rights violations is crucial for ensuring undistorted historical record and preservation of memory.

On this day, I urge States to adopt measures to promote truth, justice and reparations for victims, which is so crucial to ensuring that gross human rights violations are not repeated. Let us all do more to protect human rights and human dignity.

 

Ban Ki-moon
United Nations

 

 

The Archbishop Romero Trust : Óscar Romero was a priest and bishop in El Salvador. His love for his people who were suffering violence and oppression led him to take their side and to denounce their oppressors. And so he was killed, whilst saying Mass, on March 24th 1980.

 

Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

• The right to the truth
• Forensic genetics and the search for the truth
• Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
• Rule of Law Tools for Post-Conflict States Truth Commissions

 

 

International Day for Tolerance 2015, November 16th.

 اليوم الدولي للتسامح 16 نوفمبر تشرين الثاني.

Международный день, посвященный терпимости, 16 ноября.

国际宽容日, 11月16日.

International Day for Tolerance, 16 November.

Día Internacional para la Tolerancia,16 de noviembre.

Journée internationale de la tolérance,16 novembre.

 

United Nations Secretary-General's Message for the International Day for Tolerance 2015. 

The call “to practice tolerance” was written into the identity of the United Nations 70 years ago. Today, in a world buffeted by turbulence and change, the Charter’s summons remains a vital touchstone for our work.
People are more connected–- but this does not mean there is more understanding. Societies are ever more diverse – but intolerance is growing in many places. Sectarian tensions can be found at the heart of many conflicts, with the rise of violent extremism, massive human rights violations, and cultural cleansing. And the biggest crisis of forced displacement since the Second World War has spawned hatred and xenophobia against refugees and others.
Tolerance is much more than passively accepting the “other”.  It brings obligations to act, and must be taught, nurtured and defended. Tolerance requires investment by States in people, and in the fulfilment of their full potential through education, inclusion and opportunities. This means building societies founded on respect for human rights, where fear, distrust and marginalization are supplanted by pluralism, participation and respect for differences.
This is the message of the International Day for Tolerance – reflected in the UNESCO Declaration of Principles on Tolerance, adopted in 1995. This same idea animates the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013-2022), which is being led forward by UNESCO across the world.
On the International Day for Tolerance, let us recognize the mounting threat posed by those who strive to divide, and let us pledge to forge a path defined by dialogue, social cohesion and mutual understanding.

Ban Ki-moon, United Nations

UNESCO Director-General's Message for the International Day for Tolerance 2015.

Tolerance is a new idea, one which we need now more than ever.It leads us to respect cultural diversity, ways of life and expressions of our own humanity. It is a necessary condition for peace and progress for all people in a diversified and ever-more connected world.
UNESCO was created exactly 70 years ago, on 16 November 1945, the International Day of Tolerance, on the basis that wars could be avoided if people learned to get to know each other better and understood that, in the fertile diversity of their cultures, that which unites them is stronger than that which divides them. These principles were reaffirmed 20 years ago in the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance, adopted by UNESCO in 1995. In a globalized world, home to people from many cultures and backgrounds and flooded with pictures of and information about other peoples, tolerance is the cornerstone of sustainable citizenship.
Tolerance is not passive or silent acceptance of differences; it is inseparable from respect for fundamental human rights. It is constant commitment to facilitating exchanges and dialogue, despite difficulties and a lack of understanding which can lead to inward-looking attitudes. It is a call to question prejudice and commonly-held beliefs.
When violent extremism spreads messages of hate and intolerance, both on the ground and on social media; when human beings suffer persecution, exclusion or discrimination on the basis of their religion or background; when economic crises accentuate social divides and stand in the way of acceptance of others, such as minorities, foreigners or refugees; we must offer up a different discourse, an open message which calls for tolerance. We must make the lessons of the past more visible and remind people of the extreme situations which can result from rejection of others, racism and anti-Semitism.
Diversity is a reality, calling us to adapt our policies and act appropriately, for which tolerance is key. Today’s world presents us with considerable opportunities to better understand each other, share our stories, create a public space on a global scale, enrich our outlook on life and combine our perspectives. It is an invitation for us to strengthen moral and intellectual solidarity between peoples through educational cooperation, dialogue among cultures, knowledge-sharing and free distribution of information. Tolerance is a means of constructing peace; it accelerates innovation and creation, opening our minds to other ways to view the world. This founding mission of UNESCO is not decreed through laws and declarations: it relies on the will and daily efforts of the citizens of the world who are developing this culture of tolerance, and today is the time to support them.

Irina Bokova, UNESCO

 Forum : International Day for Tolerance - 16 November.

Tolerance Day

Events : UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence.

In 1995, to mark the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, UNESCO created a prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence.
The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.
Established through the generous donation of the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Indian artist, writer and diplomat Madanjeet Singh, the prize honors his lifelong commitment to the cause of peace and tolerance.
Madanjeet Singh passed away on 6 January 2013. The award of the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence for the year 2013 will be postponed.
The prize is awarded every two years on the International Day for Tolerance, 16 November. The Prize may be awarded to institutions, organizations or persons, who have contributed in a particularly meritorious and effective manner to tolerance and non-violence.

 Links : 

•  Call for Nominations of the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence 2016
•  Learning to Live Together
•  Bibliography on tolerance and related themes
•  'Tolerance must be taught, nurtured and defended,' says Ban on International Day