Via Globalization (2002): DECLARATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND HUMAN DUTIES

ADOPTED BY A HIGH-LEVEL GROUP CHAIRED BY RICHARD J. GOLDSTONE UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CITY OF VALENCIA AND UNESCO INITIATED AND ORGANISED BY THE VALENCIA THIRD MILLENNIUM FOUNDATION

Preamble

T he High-Level Group,
R eaffirming that respect for the dignity and equal rights of all human beings as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the inalienable foundation for peace, democracy, human security, freedom, justice and development in the world,
R eiterating the universal significance, global reach and indivisibility of the rights enunciated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international human rights instruments,
C oncerned that, fifty years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and subsequent to the adoption of other human rights instruments, disregard and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms continue to outrage the conscience of humankind,
A ware that the effective enjoyment and implementation of human rights and fundamental freedoms is inextricably linked to the assumption of the duties and responsibilities implicit in those rights,
R eaffirming that States, both in their individual capacity and as the constituent members of inter-governmental organisations, continue to exercise the primary duty and responsibility for the promotion and enforcement of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
R ecognising the important contribution that non-governmental organisations, citizen associations and human rights defenders have made and continue to make to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
C onscious of the increasing power and influence exercised by private and public corporations in the global order,
R ecognising that all collectives within the global community are composed of individuals and that individuals share an obligation to respect, promote and implement human rights and fundamental freedoms,
R ecalling that Article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises that individuals have duties and responsibilities towards their communities, and therefore
E mphasising that the assumption of the duties and responsibilities implicit in human rights and fundamental freedoms rests upon all members of the global community, including States, international, regional and sub-regional inter-governmental organisations, the private and public sectors, non-governmental organisations, citizen associations, other representatives of civil society as well as all individual members of the human family,
S tressing the significant relationship between the effective implementation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, human security, a healthy and stable environment, the freedom of the media and the arts, and a culture of peace, and therefore
R eaffirming that respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, the meeting of basic human needs through the principle of sustainable human development, promotion of a healthy and stable environment, and the achievement of social equity are as important to global peace and human security as are collective security arrangements and disarmament,
C oncerned by the great disparities in wealth, socio-economic, scientific and technological development between economically more endowed States and economically less endowed States, as well as their uneven participation and roles in global decision-making,
R ecognising that international co-operation, broad based participation and the equitable sharing of resources and the benefits of scientific and technological progress are all necessary for the achievement of an equitable global order in which human rights, fundamental freedoms, the meeting of basic human needs and the security of all humankind can be achieved,
M indful that new and evolving local, national, sub-regional, regional and global mechanisms will be required to implemement and enforce human rights, fundamental freedoms and human security in all circumstances,
R ecognising the changes that new technologies, scientific development and the process of globalisation have brought about, and aware of the need to address their impact upon and potential consequences for human rights and fundamental freedoms,
B earing in mind that managing globalisation requires equitable global and regional solutions based on the precepts of both joint and individual responsibility and solidarity,
R ecognising the contribution of all cultures, traditions and civilisations within the framework of universal and indivisible human rights and fundamental freedoms,
A ffirming that there is an abiding responsibility to promote and protect diversity in the human family and to respect the rights of minorities,
F urther recognising that the rights and identity of indigenous peoples of the world, in particular in relation to their culture, traditions and relationship to their lands, must be upheld,
S tressing that women’s rights are human rights and that substantive equality must be achieved for women in every aspect of national and international life and that effective steps must be taken to eradicate violence against women in all its manifestations,
A sserting the special and conscious need to protect and enforce the rights of the child, the elderly and those suffering from a physical or mental disability,
C onvinced of the need for all members of the human family to strive for the realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international human rights instruments,
H ereby adopts the text of a Declaration of Human Duties and Responsibilities, and
R equests its Chairman, Justice Richard J. Goldstone, to present it to the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

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