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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Talking Points of J. Brian Atwood
September 23, 1998
George Washington University Washington, D.C.
Thank you very much for that kind introduction. One of the most welcome aspects of my current position is that I am frequently asked to speak on the topic of human rights. As someone who has had a long career in promoting democracy and human rights, I welcome these opportunities for a number of reasons.Much of the progress in the field of human rights is has been carried directly on the shoulders of courageous individuals who have stood up for basic human freedoms -- often at great personal cost. Events such as this give me a chance to recognize, and personally thank, some of the intellectual stalwarts of the human rights community. This University is justifiably proud of having a Thomas Buergenthal serve on the law faculty. Tom traveled with me in 1994 to observe the elections in El Salvador. Even more important was his courageous work the previous year as a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in El Salvador, whose work was essential to shaping an environment where democracy and peace could emerge from that nation's long and bitter conflict.
GWU is also blessed by the presence of Louis Sohn, whose writings on international law and human rights have influenced generations of lawyers and human rights activists. I was also pleased to see that your crosstown rival, American University, has students willing to risk their own personal freedom in standing up for the rights of the people of Burma. While I am not suggesting that you all go out and get arrested after this meeting, clearly, one does not need to be a graybeard to advance the cause of human freedom.
My talks on human rights also provide an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of U.S. human rights policy. Our approach to human rights abroad was initially driven by congressional pressures to have U.S. foreign policy reflect the basic ideals that we have always proclaimed within our own borders. Congress exerted itself as the conscience of our foreign policy. Later, this approach, placeing human rights squarely in the center of foreign policy, was adopted by the Carter Administration. Some intellectuals at the time sneered that human rights had no place in a realpolitik approach to the world. Fortunately, that view has been consigned to the dustbin of history and many people now view President Carter as a real leader in this regard.
I observed, and to some extent, participated in the debates surrounding these efforts first as a legislative aide to Senator Thomas Eagleton and later as an Assistant Secretary of State in the late 1970s. While progress did not necessarily come easy, looking back I am amazed at how much ideas that were once decried as "radical" human rights norms that we were trying to interject into US foreign policy have become mainstream.
This year in particular I am gratified to speak on the subject of human rights because we are celebrating, throughout the year, the 50th Anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is an important anniversary and it is also a somewhat bittersweet commemoration. We have indeed made tremendous strides in upholding basic human freedoms around the world during the last five decades. However, at the same time we live in a world where Kosovos and Rwandas still take place. We live in a world where ethnic cleansing is a phrase that everyone understands. To be disappeared is not a concept of the past. No one is suggesting that the 50th year is a conclusion to our struggle.
Unlike in past years, however I would like to focus not on the principles most associated with the human rights movement -- the right to life, the right to be free from torture, the right to freedom of expression, the right to participate in periodic and genuine elections -- nor on the efforts that this Administration, and USAID in particular, has made to reinforce these principles. Instead, I want to make the case that, as the head of a development agency, my daily activities, and those of my colleagues and our partners, are informed by, and derive from, the precepts articulated so definitively 50 years ago by the UN Commission on Human Rights, operating under the forceful leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt.
I am talking specifically about the articles in the Universal Declaration that refer to social security, employment, a standard of living adequate for the health of the individual and his or her family and education. As someone who is not a lawyer and not a specialist on the law of human rights, I will not enter the well-trodden debate regarding the extent to which the rights enunciated in the Universal Declaration impose legal obligations on members of the international community. Suffice to say, hardly a day goes by when the international community is not faced with very difficult decisions about the use of force, the rights of individuals and national sovereignty.
How do the principles and themes articulated in the Universal Declaration guide the activities of USAID? First, we work with governments and nongovernmental agencies to create an economic environment in which jobs are readily available and natural resources are not sustainably exploited, to devise policies that address the basic health needs of the population and to set aside sufficient resources to provide meaningful educational opportunities. Growing prosperity is often the best insurance policy for human rights.
Second, we clearly recognize the relationship between our economic and social development efforts, and the extent to which political and civil rights are respected in a given country. Thus, we are unlikely to work in a country where the human rights situation is particularly egregious -- because economic development just does not work absent real political development. Where we are actively engaged in a country, and political and civil rights are being violated, we will include in our assistance package support to local nongovernmental organizations that are advocating for change. Thus, in Indonesia during the Suharto era, USAID financed many of the NGOs that have been at the forefront of the movement for democratic change. In South Africa, U.S. support for peaceful change through nongovernmental organizations played a key role in that countries successful transition to majority rule.
Third, we introduce human rights principles directly into our development efforts. Our education programs, for example, seek to overcome the legacy of discrimination against girls and minorities by encouraging policy changes among government officials at the national and local levels that will allow all girls to attend school. Some of our programs to support small women entrepreneurs for example, have also helped push for changes in laws so that women have the right to own and inherit property. Many of environmental programs are built around a model of community-based natural resource management, that empowers towns and villages to make sound decisions that protect local resources while creating real economic opportunity. While traditional attitudes often frustrates the adoption of truly nondiscriminatory policies, the principles enunciated in the Universal Declaration offer a well recognized basis for advocating for change.
Fourth, our efforts to address a specific development problem often demonstrate how closely the human rights situation is intertwined with all the development issues in a country. For example, in some countries we will find that thousands of people are hungry, but that adequate food is not the problem. Indeed, the true cause of hunger may be the fact that people lack freedom of movement as a result of war or repressive government policies. We may find that a country's economy is lagging simply because the rule of law is not respected an investment and savings become prey to an autocrats whims.
Similarly, we can see in the field of health how human rights is wrapped around every sector in which we work. Effectively addressing the HIV pandemic may require more than merely building new hospitals or developing better treatment techniques. A human rights analysis may suggest that the best way of addressing the problem is to ensure that the most vulnerable populations are aware of the problem and that there are NGOs that are prepared to advocate on their behalf. The interventions suggested by the latter analysis would differ quite a bit, and probably cost a great deal less, than the more traditional responses.
In this context, let me pay tribute to Dr. Jonathan Mann, who tragically lost his life several weeks ago in the SwissAir crash. Dr. Mann passionately advocated a holistic attitude toward human rights in both his writing and teaching. USAID employees benefitted from his ideas and energy on numerous occasions, and most recently in the fall of 1997, when he conducted an intensive two day seminar on the issue of health and human rights.
In particular, Dr. Mann sought to foster among health professionals an understanding of the impact of societal factors, including the extent to which human rights are protected, on public health conditions in a community or a country. He frequently cited the fact that, since 1990, all graduates of the Harvard School of Public Health, receive two scrolls at commencement: Their degree and a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which in Dr. Mann's words, was their common birthright. And the graduates would be reminded by the Dean that the Universal Declaration is as vital to their future in public health as the Hippocratic Oath, or similar document would be to a medical doctor.
We will miss Dr. Mann. His efforts to publicize the Universal Declaration of Human Rights among public health workers, and to demonstrate how a commitment to human rights affects their roles in developing public health policies, deserves active emulation by other professional communities.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is very much a living document. It certainly guides the work of my agency. At the same time, I am not certain that the specific provisions in the document have received the attention they deserve by people in this country and throughout the world. Too often human rights still take a back seat to other priority concerns and governments only act when veritably shamed in to responding egregious human rights violations. Modern communications has provided the world with a powerful tool for shining light on the human rights conditions in every corner of the globe.
I remain an eternal optimist. I hope that this 50th Anniversary celebration will increase awareness of what is included in the Universal Declaration and an active dialogue on how, in today's challenging world, we can best achieve the aspirations set by those principled dreamers in the 1940s. Today, we are in a position to continue translating their dreams into a living reality.
In closing, let me suggest that what better way to celebrate your 100th anniversary as a University than to provide a regular forum for discussion of the ideas underlying the Universal Declaration and to ask all the notable speakers who will grace this platform during the course of the year to offer their perspectives on the subject. Thank you very much.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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Last Updated on: July 18, 2001 |
