This is my opening speech:
"The
author Ellen J Barrier once said: “We are not going to always agree with each
other, but we should have the dignity to always respect each other’s freedom of
speech and of choice. Democracy is practiced when we have respect for human
rights.”
As a Director of Amnesty International UK and the Papua New Guinea Country Director for Oxfam I feel hugely privileged to have been given the opportunity of addressing you at the opening of the 2013 Papua New Guinea Human Rights Film Festival. Having grown up on Bougainville Island I am also extremely excited to be back living and working in PNG.
I am hugely proud of the work which Oxfam does in PNG in
defending human rights, in finding lasting solutions to relieving poverty, and
in tackling injustice. Oxfam is unusual
amongst International NGO’s in that it works exclusively through partners at
grassroots level rather than implementing programmes directly. We and our partners are striving to achieve a
vision of a safer, fairer, more sustainable world where all people can enjoy a
life of hope and opportunity. We believe we can all play a part in fighting
poverty and promoting human rights; each and every one of us can do something
to make a difference.
Throughout all of our programmes we ensure that human
rights is a driving focus. Whether it is
providing safe, clean water and sanitation facilities through our WASH
programme, helping communities to build sustainable futures through our
Livelihood programmes, promoting peace in the Highlands of PNG, or supporting
women who have been subjected to sexual and/or domestic violence through our
Eliminating Violence Against Women programme.
In June of this year I attended the 2013 Amnesty
International Annual Media Awards at the British Film Institute in London. The event has become an internationally
renowned event recognising
excellence in human rights reporting and acknowledging journalism's significant
contribution to raising public awareness of human rights issues. I was absolutely delighted to see that one of
the finalists for the photojournalism category was an exhibition which first
came to prominence at the PNG Human Rights Festival last year[1]. That exposure emphasises the importance of this
festival and recognises the impact that visual and oral storytelling can have
in tackling human rights abuses.
Papua New Guinea has a strong tradition of storytelling;
it is in the blood of every Papua New Guinean.
The cultural diversity for which PNG is famed throughout the world is
strengthened by its commitment to preserving the stories passed down from
generation to generation.
The rise of technology represents a unique
opportunity to share those stories around the world. To give a voice to those whose voice has been
trammelled. To stand for those who are
unable, for whatever reason, to stand up for themselves.
However, that work must be undertaken with
integrity. It is not about chasing the
most controversial story, but about operating with conviction and in a way
which promotes and respects the dignity of the individual. The features, documentaries, photographs and
stories you will see, hear and read over the next few days have been chosen
because they represent the highest standards of journalistic integrity whilst
also pushing forward the agenda of universal human rights.
As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets
out: “Everyone
has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom
to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart
information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” [2] We are extremely fortunate that in PNG those
rights are enshrined within the Constitution, and that we are able to gather
together and share our stories. In some
countries the organisation of an event like this would be brutally repressed.
In fact the PNG Constitution[3] is
unique in that it contains almost all the rights and freedoms enshrined in the
UN Charter[4] and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights[5]. Moreover, PNG has ratified 5 of the core
Human Rights Treaties; the third highest number in the Pacific. The PNG Government’s commitment to the
principle of Human Rights is therefore clear.
However, still PNG does not have its own Human Rights Commission. I would therefore like to take this
opportunity today to urge Prime Minister O’Neill to reaffirm this Government’s
commitment to establishing a Human Rights Commission for PNG, and to forge
ahead with putting the draft Bill through Parliament. To show the world that ‘human rights’ is
truly at the heart of PNG’s political system, and that it is a priority for the
Honourable Members representing the people of Papua New Guinea.
Maya Angelou the Civil Rights Activist once said: “How
important it is for us to recognise and celebrate our heroes and she-roes.” I want to thank all of the exhibitors who
have used their considerable talents in finding ways to creatively tackle human
rights abuses. Without them this
festival would not be possible and the world would not be as rich a place.
However, for me the true heroes and she-roes are the
subjects of these documentaries and exhibitions. The individual men, women, and children who in
allowing themselves to be filmed, photographed and recorded have given us the
gift of themselves and their stories. We
have a responsibility to cherish those stories and to use them in a positive
way to advance the cause of human rights.
I
am also thrilled to launch this evening a new Oxfam initiative to support the
Human Rights Defenders Network in the Highlands. These brave women are working tirelessly to
bring justice to victims of violence and to build a more secure and peaceful
Highlands region. This new initiative
will fund the core work of three community-based organisations so that they can
extend their work in providing relief to victims, negotiating peace treaties
between communities in conflict, and undertaking community outreach and
awareness. We are proud to be partnering
with Voice for Change, Kup Women for Peace, and the Kafe Women’s Association to
take this work forward. A particular
focus of this new work will be on combating sorcery-related violence and you
will note that this issue features as a key theme in this year’s Festival.
I will leave you by commending those individuals and
groups who have given so generously, sometimes at great personal risk to
themselves. I will also ask that you
stand and join me in a round of applause to recognise the bravery of those
individuals, and to celebrate those human rights defenders who cannot be here
with us today."
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