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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1983)
Portland Observer, December 14, 1983 Page 5 20% U.N. human rights goals fall short by Catherine Siegner Saturday, December 10, was the 35th anniversary o f the ratification o f the United Nations Human Rights Declaration, and in the years since Eleanor Roosevelt humored and cajoled 52 disparate nations into signing it, the world has not lived up to the document's aspira tions o f guaranteed basic human rights for all people. W alter H o ffm a n , executive vice- president o f the Campaign for U .N . Reform and a New Jersey human rights attorney, brought that mes sage to Portland Thursday at a Portland State University speech marking National Hum an Rights Week. H o ffm a n called the U .N . Declar ation “ on par with the Magna Carta and the Declaration o f Indepen dence o f the United States’/ in its far-sighted vision o f the rights of humankind. He outlined the U .N .’s role in protecting each person’s hu man rights, including “ minimal guarantees o f human rights for ille gal aliens; Southeast Asian refugees; Blacks looking for decent housing; women seeking equal pay for equal work, and those suffering from apartheid in South A fric a .” In assessing how well govern ments have adhered to the standards set by the U .N . Declaration, H o f f man said the articles guaranteeing various rights must be applied to specific situations. H o ffm an cited Article 14 of the Declaration, which states that, “ Everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum in another country,’ ’ but said clients he has represented hear nothing from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IN S ) for years on end. “ Stars such as athletes or ballet dancers get asylum fairly quickly,” he said. “ Someone not important has to wait and w ait.” Carter has recommended ratifica tion, we have never done so,” he said. "Because of our only ratifying two or three (U .N . documents) we have been accused o f hypocrisy on civil rights. “ How can we criticise the terri ble, terrible system o f apartheid in South A frica when we haven’t rati fied the covenant on suppression and punishment o f apartheid?” he asked. “ W e ’ve done a very stupid thing.” H o ffm a n said those opposing the U .S . signing, for example, the Gen- things." H o ffm an suggested the U .N . be expanded into a world wide watch dog for human rights; put in a role where it "can investigate and spot light human rights violations." H offm an said he looks at the UNION AVENUE GLASS COMPANY ALL TYPES OF AUTO. PLATE and WINDOW GLASS Storm Doors and Windows world. “ W e are on this planet together and this is a very tiny planet. W hat happens in one part o f the globe a f fects all the rest o f u s," he said. " T h e denial o f human rights can be, and often is. a cause o f war. 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Employment is up now, said Stein, largely as a result of unusual ly high consumer demand and a change in business inventory beha vior; consumers are buying more and businesses are stockpiling goods. Stein refused to say just what an "acceptable" level o f un employment is. but echoed the A d ministration in predicting an eight percent rate by the end o f 1984. He called this an "optim um rate” the market will produce if inflation is permanently reduced Stein had very little to say when asked whether he foresaw any change in the Black/w hite employ ment rate discrepancy being pro duced by the changes in our eco nomic structure, except that it is a problem which "has existed for a long time through various dians. He admitted the U .S. "has a fa ir ly good record on human rights compared to some other countries, but that “ we could still improve ON RETAIL PRICE OF CUT GLASS ft MIRRORS world in a "global w a y ." not in terms o f local areas only. H e said this kind o f view is necessary to avoid nationalistic narrowminded ness that, can cause needless divi sions among the people o f the SAFEWAY Article 17 o f the U .N . Declara tion guarantees everyone the right to own property either alone or with others, H o ffm an explained. This contrasts bleakly with the situation o f one o f his clients, a Black man who arranged for a contractor to build a house, but the contractor re fused when he learned the man was Black. There are additional documents that have been conceived and drawn up at the United Nations, H offm an said, which the United States has never ratified or signed. These in clude the U .N . Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Coven ant on Economic, Cultural and So cial Rights. Under these covenants, H o ffm an said, individuals may file petitions and complaints against their respective governments in a ju dicial realm beyond their own boun daries where their case may be im partially reviewed. O f particular concern to H o ff man is the U .S .’ refusal to ratify the 194« Genocide Convention signed by President H arry Trum an. “ A l though every president up through same time. Employment figures are important since if employment rises as fast or faster than production docs, then productivity per worker may actually be decreasing even as more goods are produced, Stein ex plained. On the other hand, if the increase in jobs is really only two percent while the increase in goods produced is larger (let us say the cur rent six percent), then productivity may have increased. Thus, cautioned Stein, although both the employment and growth rates seem to be rising, it doesn’t ne cessarily mean Am erica’s productiv ocide Convention, argue that by signing we could be accused o f gen ocide relating to the American In OFF SPECIAL Lin d s ay. 5 7 O tin « e ( an \ Case Of 24 $15 99 J ^^k C h o o s e F ro m M e d iu m C h e d d a r O , Monterey Jack r ^^k ’r ^¡% ,2-Lb. 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