UN General Assembly
1993

gallant peace-keepers who have fallen while on duty in Somalia. The World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna in June this year was a landmark event which was able to overcome the numerous challenges that it faced. That Conference addressed, inter alia, such fundamental human rights as the rights of women and children and reaffirmed the universality of human rights and the legitimate role of the international community in protecting these rights worldwide. It also reaffirmed the importance of economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development, and it adopted several practical steps to promote and protect human rights in both private and public life. The challenge now facing us is to implement the recommendations of that Conference. We would not like to reopen the debate regarding human rights standards. The United Nations established those standards more than 40 years ago. What is important is that human rights should remain universal and non-selective. Human beings all over the world, irrespective of their race, religion, gender or class, must enjoy equal rights and protection.