PARIS 2008

Human Rights and a World without Violence

Paris, 9th Summit – 11-13 December 2008

Final Statement
Three Questions to Fulfill Our Duty to the Next Generation

On 10 December 1948, in Paris, the UN General Assembly approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This charter re-affirms the universal nature of human rights and lays down the principle of the equal dignity of every person. By virtue of its history, its values, its culture, Paris was naturally destined to host this 9th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, which focused in particular on the question of human rights.

How to reinforce peace through the defence of human rights? Which strategies to pursue to consolidate the universal nature of fundamental rights? How to promote democratic values in the world, how to strengthen rights while removing social inequalities? A host of questions and challenges, calling into play our democratic values and their universality, and which was the focus of debates held during those two days.

A celebration of these values, this Summit was an extraordinary opportunity to discuss and exchange views and to reflect on policies to be pursued to guarantee observance of the Declaration’s principles and further the push for peace in the world.

PARTICIPANTS

Mikhail Gorbachev,
Frederik Willem De Klerk,
Lech Walesa,
John Hume,
Mairead Corrigan Maguire,
Betty Williams,
United Nations (UN),
Department of Peacekeeping operations (UN),
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR),
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW),
International Peace Bureau (IPB),
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC),
Pugwash Conferences (PUGWASH),
International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC),
International Labour Organization (ILO),
International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL),
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Walter Veltroni,
Ingrid Betancourt,
Sein Win (Prime Minister of Burma’s Government in exile),
Kerry Kennedy (President of the Foundation of Robert F. Kennedy for Europe),
Koïchiro Matsuura (General Director, UNESCO),
Agazio Loiero (President of Calabria Region),
Alexander Likhotal (President of Green Cross International),
Luis-Alberto Cordero (President of Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress),
David Steward (President of Frederik Willem De Klerk Foundation),
Piotr Gulczynski (President of Lech Walesa Foundation),
David Ives (Executive Director of Albert Schweitzer Institute),
Gensei Ito (ASCA),
Johan Galtung,
Lourdes Portillo,
Michael Collopy (Architects of Peace),
Jonathan Granoff (President of Global Security Institute),
Kevin Bales (Free the Slaves),
Adrienne Germain (International Women’s Health Coalition),
Jahan Rounaq (Columbia University),
Brita Schmidt (Women for Women International),
Glenda Paige (Center for Global Nonviolence),
Catarina Albouquerque (Independent Expert on human rights obligations related to safe drinking water and sanitation, Human Rights Council).

Hosting Parties

The City of Paris
The Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates
The Gorbachev Foundation

Schedule

Thursday, 11th December
Hotel de Ville

8.15 Opening of the Summit

9.00 – 10.30 Opening session
• Bertrand Delanoe, Mayor of Paris
• Walter Veltroni, Co-Chairman of the Summit
• Mikhail Gorbachev, Chairman of the Summit

• Ingrid Betancourt – Special guest
• Sein Win – Prime Minister of Burma’s Government in exile

10.30 – 12.45 First Session
“Building peace and the World without violence through the safeguard of human rights.”

Opening speech by Alain Le Roy, UN Under-Secretary-General
Welcome speech Anne Hidalgo, Deputy Mayor of Paris
Speech by Nobel Peace Laureate Lech Walesa
Speech by Nobel Peace Laureate Frederik Willem de Klerk
Speech by Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire
Speech by Nobel Peace Laureate John Hume
Speech by Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams
Speech by Kari Tapiola, Executive Director ILO
Speech by Silvie Brigot, Executive Director ICBL
Welcome by Agazio Loiero, President of Calabria Region

13.00 Lunch
14.30 – 15.45 Second session
“Women rights for a World without violence. Women and mothers promoters of changes.”
Chaired by Betty Williams
Coordinator David Ives

Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate
Kerry Kennedy, Foundation of Robert F. Kennedy for Europe
Vappu Taipale, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Brita Schmitt, Women for Women International
Adrienne Germain, International Women’s Health Coalition
Judith Oulton, Former CEO International Council of Nurses (ICN)
Maria Amata Garito, President of Uninettuno University
Luis-Alberto Cordero, Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress
Lourdes Portillo, producer, writer
Fatima Lalem, Deputy of the Municipality of Paris in charge of equality of women/men

16.00- 17.15 Third Session
“How to foster the establishment of the democratic values worldwide?” 
Chaired by Frederik Willem De Klerk
Coordinator David Steward

Frederik Willem De Klerk, Nobel Peace Laureate
Jayantha Dhanapala, Pugwash Conferences
Kari Tapiola, International Labour Organization
Ime John, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Thomas Magnusson, International Peace Bureau
Yamina Benguigui, Deputy of the Municipality of Paris in charge of human rights and the fight against discrimination

17.30 – 18.45 Fourth Session
“Right to Water as a Human Right. Right to Water for a World without violence.” 
Chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev
Coordinator Alexander Likhotal

Alexander Likhotal, Green Cross International
Dr. Rajendra K Pachauri, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Koïchiro Matsuura, General Director UNESCO
Special guests by Green Cross International:
Eran Feitelson, Israel water expert
Nedal Saleem, Palestinian water expert
Catarina Albouquerque (Independent Expert on human rights obligations related to safe drinking water and sanitation, Human Rights Council)
Pierre Schapira, Deputy of the Municipality of Paris in charge of international relations, of the franconophony and European relations, member of the European Parliament

20.30 Tour Eiffel (Salle Gustave Eiffel) – Gala Dinner offered by Kids Rights (only
with invitation)

Friday, 12th December 
Hotel de Ville

9.00 – 10.00 Fifth Session
“Defense of individual rights in today’s world. Strategies to affirm the universalism of
the fundamental rights?” 
Chaired by Mairead Corrigan Maguire and John Hume

Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate
Mary Ellen McNish, American Friends Service Committee
Massimo Barra, International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Paul Lacey, American Friends Service Committee
Kevin Bales, Free the Slaves
Mustafa Barghouthi, Founder of the Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP)
Yamina Benguigui, Deputy of the Municipality of Paris in charge of human rights and the fight against discrimination
10.00 – 11.15 Sixth Session
“How to make Human Rights concrete eliminating social inequalities among people in
our societies.”
Chaired by Lech Walesa
Coordinator Piotr Gulczynski

Jahan Rounaq, Columbia University
David Ives, Albert Schweitzer Institute
Marta Santos Pais, United Nations Children’s Fund
Johan Galtung, Professor
Jonathan Granoff, Global Security Insitute
Arielle Denis, International Peace Bureau
Luisa Brunori, President of International Observatory of Microfinance
Pierre Schapira, Deputy of the Municipality of Paris in charge of international relations, of the franconophony and european relations, member of the European Parliament

11.15 End of the working sessions

12.00 – 13.00 “Peace Summit Award” 
Award Ceremony: Nobel Peace Laureates award Bono Vox
Greetings by Tandiwe Chama, Recepient of the International Children’s Peace Prize 2007.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Bono
Bertrand Delanoe

13.00 Lunch

15.00 Closed session of the Nobel Peace Laureates 
Discussion and approval of the Final document of the Summit with strategies of international policies, which shall be implemented to ensure a real observance of the principles, reflected in the Declaration
of Human Rights.
Chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev

Saturday, 13th December
Epace Martin Luther King – Trocadero

11.00 Summit’s Press conference 
Laureates remarks to the Press related to the Summit’s topics and presentation of the Summit’s
Final Document.

PEACE SUMMIT AWARD

Bono

Bono, lead singer of U2, received the Peace Summit Award 2008, in Paris on 12 December, during the 9th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. Bono was chosen by the Nobel Peace Laureates for his long-lasting engagement in the campaign for debt cancellation in third world countries and for his efforts to raise public awareness of the Millennium Development Goals.

Bono has participated in the founding of DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade Africa), the anti-poverty advocacy organization created to press the governments of developed nations to do their part in the fight against extreme poverty in Africa, with a focus on debt relief, AIDS treatment and prevention and reform of unfair trade rules. Bono is also Co-founder of ONE, the association with which DATA merged in 2008, whose mission is to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease in the poorest places on the planet, particularly in Africa.

“I am an over-awarded, over-rewarded rockstar. You [Nobel Laureates] are the people who do the real work.”
– Bono