Message on the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
I am extremely encouraged to learn that there will be worldwide commemoration on the 50th
anniversary of the adoption and signing of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. I am also very happy to learn that the office of the UN
High Commission for Human Rights is encouraging a worldwide study and
dissemination of the text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
so that ordinary people will fully understand the rights to which they
are entitled.
Human rights are of universal interest because it
is the inherent nature of all human beings to yearn for freedom,
equality and dignity and they have a right to achieve them. Whether we
like it or not, we have all been born into this world as part of one
great human family. Rich or poor, educated or uneducated, belonging to
one nation or another, to one religion or another, adhering to this
ideology or that, ultimately each of is just a human being like
everyone else. We all desire happiness and do not want suffering.
Some governments have contended that the standards
of human rights laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
are those advocated by the West and do not apply to Asia and other
parts of the Third World because of differences in culture, social and
economic development. I do not share this view and I am convinced
that majority of ordinary people do not support it either. I believe
that the principles laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights constitute something like a natural law that ought to be
followed by all peoples and governments.
I am encouraged by the widespread concern for
violation of human rights whether in Tibet or any other part of the
World. People everywhere have come to realise the great importance and
value of human rights. Not only does it offer the prospect of relief to
many suffering individuals, but it also is an indication of humanity's
progress and development. I feel that concern for human rights
violations and the effort to protect human rights represents a great
service to people of both the present and future generations.
As we are just about a year away for the dawn of the 21st
century, we find that the world is becoming one global family. We are
being drawn together by the remarkable advances made in science and
technology which enables us to share information instantaneously, and
by the grave and common problems of over-population, dwindling natural
resources and the environmental crisis that threaten the very
foundation of our existence on this planet. Human rights, environmental
protection and social and economic equality are all inter-related. In
all these issues, I believe a sense of universal responsibility is the
key to human survival and progress. It is also the best foundation for
world peace and promotion of human rights and a political culture of
non-violence and dialogue in resolving human conflicts.
In conclusion, I wish to take this opportunity to
specially commend and express my deep admiration and respect for the
defenders of human rights everywhere in the world. These people are
truly making a difference in people's lives by documenting human rights
abuses and working to alleviate them. I consider human rights work or
activism to be a kind of spiritual practice. By defending those people
who persecuted for their race, religion, ethnicity or ideology, you are
actually contributing to guiding our human family to peace, justice and
dignity.
December 7, 1998
Dharamsala
