June 19, 1998 No. 163

AXWORTHY TO UNVEIL GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy announced today that he would introduce For the Record, 1997: The United Nations Human Rights System at the Vienna Plus Five Global Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Forum on Human Rights taking place in Ottawa, June 22 to 24, 1998.

"I am delighted that Canada has been able to produce this first annual global human rights report as one of its principal contributions to mark the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," said Mr. Axworthy. "Anniversaries such as these are important milestones and provide an opportunity to reflect on accomplishments. However, documents such as this report highlight the work that remains to be done and the intensified commitment needed to pursue the international human rights agenda during the next 50 years."

This is the first annual report, based exclusively on UN sources, to provide in a single document an overview of the international human rights situation as documented by independent UN experts. The report was produced in collaboration with the Ottawa-based NGO Human Rights Internet.

Human Rights Internet, along with an international consortium of 33 other NGOs, is also the principal organizer of The Vienna Plus Five Global NGO Forum. The Forum will examine progress made in the five years since the Vienna Human Rights Conference in June 1993. It will also identify and focus on topics that members of the international NGO community intend to bring to the attention of the UN in the context of the Vienna Plus Five inter-governmental review next autumn.

"The role of NGOs and other civil society players in promoting and protecting human rights globally is vital," said

Mr. Axworthy. "Governments working alone cannot achieve the results that a partnership representing all sectors of society can. I commend Human Rights Internet for its contribution to the production of this important report and for its leadership in organizing this forum."

For the Record, 1997 will be available in English and French in a six-volume paperback version, as well as on CD-ROM. It will also be accessible on the World Wide Web at www.hri.ca/fortherecord1997/, as well as on the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Web site (see address below).

The Government of Canada, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian International Development Agency, has provided financial and technical support for both the production of the report and the Forum itself.

Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 1998 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.

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For further information, media representatives may contact:

Debora Brown

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

(613) 995-1851

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874

This document is also available on the Department's Internet site: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca