On Human Rights Day, SRSG presses for uniting against all forms of discrimination
10 December 2009
Baghdad, 10 December 2009 - On the occasion of UN Human Rights Day, which this year focuses on Embracing Diversity and Fighting Against Discrimination, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG), Ad Melkert calls on all citizens of Iraq for tolerance towards each other and to respect each others’ political rights, as well as cultural, religious, ethnic and gender differences.
To this end, the SRSG encourages the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government and local administrations to “take lasting and concrete actions to promote and protect the rights of minorities and to help put an end to recent patterns of forced displacement and emigration of minorities, in particular religious minorities”.
Underlining that the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women is at the core of development and human rights, the SRSG said that “violence against women cannot be seen in isolation from discrimination against them”, and urged all Iraqis to unite to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.
The SRSG further stated that “any effort to embrace diversity and end discrimination must include a free and independent media that is capable of serving as a platform for the celebration of diversity, not superiority”. A government that ensures freedom of expression and access to information positions its society toward the protection and respect for human rights and human dignity.
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