UN General Assembly
1998

welfare and development within the framework of the ASEAN Post-ministerial Conference caucus on social safety nets proposed by Thailand. In this age where ideas can be carried far and wide by the currents of global media, such concepts as democracy, human rights and sustainable development have stirred the imagination of peoples in developing nations everywhere. My delegation would like to congratulate the Secretary-General for strengthening the work of the United Nations on human rights, particularly in bringing Geneva and New York together and appointing Mary Robinson as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Her grace, her experiences, her devotion and her competency will contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights worldwide. 25 ln today?s global village, human rights have become not a luxury but a necessity. Advancing the cause of human rights makes sense not only from a philosophical standpoint, but also from a pragmatic standpoint. Obstacles to and violations of human rights lead to the displacement of populations across borders, with a host of attendant social and economic problems, posing an immense burden