Celebrating the 60th Birthday of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Celebrating the 60^th Birthday of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Aung Din

December 10, 2008 is the 60^th birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which came into the world in 1948 with unanimous support by members of the United Nations. Since its adoption, the UDHR has become the foundation of international human rights law and the basic principle of the United Nations, which is “DETERMINED to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,” according to the UN Charter. Many nations in the world will honor this birthday with pride and joy and many governments will reaffirm their commitment to respecting human rights. Many people in the world will remember difficult days in the past while they enjoy and treasure the rights they now have. Most parts of the world will be shining on this great day, indeed.

However, some parts of the world will still be in the dark. People from countries like Burma, North Korea, Sudan, and Zimbabwe are still suffering human rights abuses perpetrated by their own governments. Dictatorial regimes hold birthday celebrations of UDHR in their own way.

In Burma, just days before the 60th birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, people who simply demanded to obtain their fundamental rights were sentenced to over 60 years in prison. Prominent human rights leader in Burma, Min Ko Naing and 22 members of the 88 Generation Students received 65 years in prison each for their leading roles in staging peaceful protests against the injustices of Burma’s military junta. Ashin Gambira, a leader of the All Burma Monks’ Alliance, an organization which led the peaceful protests in September 2007 demanding the junta release all political prisoners in the country, received 68 years in prison. Burma’s most famous comedian and social worker, Zarganar received a 59 year sentence for his effective relief assistance to cyclone survivors, who were neglected by the junta.

Although the UDHR is not a binding resolution, all members of the United Nations are obliged to respect it and should be willing to carry it out. Burma became a member of the United Nations in 1948, as soon as it gained independence from Britain and continues to be a member to this day. Even Burma’s junta recently claimed that cooperation with the United Nations is a cornerstone of its foreign policy. Ironically, this same junta ignores all recommendations made by the United Nations, including the General Assembly, Human Rights Council, International Labor Organization, Security Council, UN Special Envoys and UN Secretary-General, whom have all called on it to release all political prisoners immediately, stop human rights violations and start a political negotiation with the democratic opposition led by detained Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Millions of people in Burma continue to be victims of forced labor, ethnic villages continue to be destroyed, ethnic women and girls continue to be raped by Burmese soldiers, children under the age of 18 continue to be recruited into the junta’s army, thousands of democracy activist continue to remain in prisons and many peaceful demonstrators continue to be killed. The sky over Burma continues to be dark with a climate of fear.

This day also highlights the ineffectiveness of the United Nations due to the division among the international community. The cold war has ended, but competition for influence and attempts to maintain and expand spheres of influence have not. Burma’s brutal junta is aided by China, in exchange for cheap supplies of natural gas, natural resources and loyalty. The world’s largest democracy, India is appeasing the junta to bring it back from China onto its side. Other regional powers play supporting roles for their preferred dictators for various reasons, for exploitation of energy and natural resources, for their unhappiness with western nations, for fear of being reprimanded for their own abuses against their own people, etc. With outside backing, dictatorial regimes are more arrogant and aggressive than ever and put the United Nations on the sideline. UN resolutions are being ignored not only by Burma’s military junta, but also by many others.

We should honor this day by remembering those who sacrifice their lives and dreams for the rights to which they are entitled. We should denounce together the dictators around the world, whose thirst for power and willingness to kill those who challenge their rule, make the world ugly, unequal and unsafe. We should also denounce these big powers, like China and Russia, for their protection of brutal thugs in power. Without these actions, celebration of the 60^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will not be meaningful.