The age-old dream: freedom, justice, dignity for all.

• Position: World Conference on Human Rights

Forty-four years ago, the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a comprehensive document eloquently sketching the inalienable rights with which all of us are born.

Since then, the UN has slowly and methodically agreed on a body of human rights covenants, protocols and declarations, further defining our collective economic, social, cultural, political and civil rights and creating a system to protect them.

While few dispute the enormous progress made in spelling out these rights, it is tragically apparent that human rights continue to be violated everywhere, often on a massive scale.

This contradiction lies at the heart of the decision by the General Assembly to convene the World Conference on Human Rights, to be held in Vienna from 14 to 25 June 1993.

The World Conference will review the progress made since the first global conference was held in Teheran, Iran in 1968. It is to explore the possibilities for further refining the five main categories of human rights, and seek ways to improve and strengthen existing systems for promoting and protecting human rights at the international, regional and national levels. A primary Conference goal will be to make protection of human rights an integral component of social and economic development worldwide.

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali articulated the underlying philosophy on Human Rights Day, 1992: "Full human dignity means not only freedom from torture, but also freedom from starvation. It means freedom to vote as it means the right to education. It means freedom of belief as it means the right to health. It means the right to enjoy all rights without discrimination. And true development requires a solid basis of democracy and popular participation."

Several current factors may help realize these goals: the UN's heightened emphasis on democracy and people-centred development; recent steps in many countries towards more participatory political systems; and the increasing globalization of the mass media, which has raised awareness of human rights issues everywhere.

At the same time, the meeting will have to address recent world developments that have put the human rights of millions of people in grave jeopardy; the frightening spread of ethnic, national and religious conflicts; the deterioration of many countries' economies and the widening gap between rich and poor; and growing environmental crises related to unsustainable use of resources and rapid population growth.

The...