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UN Rights chief calls for greater efforts to discrimination, inequality and genocide
The new high commissioner for human rights has called for greater efforts to tackle discrimination, inequality and genocide.
UN's Patrick Maigua reports from Geneva.
"In her maiden speech to the Human Rights Council the High Commissioner said development, security, peace and justice cannot be fully realized without human rights. Describing genocide as the ultimate form of discrimination, Ms Pillay said states must break the cycle of violence, the mobilization of fear and the political exploitation of differences such as ethnic, racial and religious. She called on UN Member states to actively participate in the anti racism review conference scheduled for April 2009.
'Without that participation, the anti-racism debate and agenda will be impoverished. Let's not forget that diversity of opinions is often an inherent and welcome characteristic of relationships among peers. We should be prepared to accommodate such diversity in the spirit of collegiality and respect. Should differences be allowed to become pretexts for inaction, the hopes and aspirations of the many victims of intolerance would be dashed perhaps irreparably.'
She said gender discrimination makes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights an empty pledge for millions of women and girls adding that no effort should be spared to persuade countries to repeal laws and practices that continue to reduce women and girls to second class citizens.
Patrick Maigua UN Radio Geneva.
(duration: 1'46")
