UN General Assembly
1998

local traditions or local problems. Obviously, situations differ, but the human rights foundation is the same everywhere. All States in Vienna in 1993 reaffirmed that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights constitutes a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. All States further proclaimed that the promotion and protection of human rights is a legitimate concern of the international community. A feature of present-day international law is that, by now, we have almost all the standards against which to hold Governments accountable for their acts. What we are still missing is an effective international machinery to ensure the implementation of all the rules in practice â€” to move from declarations to deeds. I wish to pay special tribute to the many human rights defenders who struggle in the front line for the defence of our common human values, often at the greatest personal risk. 15 It is a most proper contribution by the United Nations to adopt this year a declaration for the protection of the work of human rights defenders, those who strive to realize