Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier on the occasion of Human Rights Day

On the occasion of Human Rights Day (the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948), Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier issued the following statement in Berlin today:

"The protection and promotion of human rights are, like the fight for the rule of law, immutable aspects of Federal Government foreign policy. Without respect for human rights, long-term peace and economic development cannot be secured, and democracy and socially compatible globalization have no basis.

As Human Rights Day approaches, I observe with great concern that abuse of human rights still takes place in numerous countries, and that torture, the death penalty and the denial of elementary fundamental liberties are everyday occurrences in many places.

A crucial task of German foreign policy, therefore, is and will remain to promote the observance of human rights. To this end we are wholeheartedly and actively committed to working in international bodies, including, specifically, the United Nations Human Rights Council."

December 9, 2006

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