V. Budapest Human Rights Forum
Budapest, 8 November 2012

It is my honour and pleasure to welcome you at the Fifth Budapest Human Rights Forum. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary is pleased to continue the tradition of organizing the Budapest Human Rights Forum. Over the past four years, the Forum has developed into an internationally registered conference widely commended and we are dedicated to maintain it as one of our long-term human rights endeavours.
- This conference, just like the previous ones, is organized with the objective of providing space for dialogue on current challenges concerning the observance of specific human rights among representatives of international, civil and governmental organizations.
- As it is indispensable for a child to enjoy sound and secure conditions based on real values for his or her personal development, it is indispensable for a nation to achieve the prevalence of rule of law and the observance of human rights to attain prosperity and sustainable development.
- For me and for my whole generation lack of democracy, disrespect of human rights and suppression of people fighting for freedom and liberty was personal experience. We grew up and spent even our university years during the Communist regime so we can all clearly distinguish when there is and when there isn’t democracy. This is not something for us that we read in history books or learned from newspapers. This was our everyday experience of the bitter reality we grew in.
- Therefore the adoption of the new Constitution by the Hungarian Parliament last April represented a milestone in the history of the development of the rule of law in Hungary during the past 20 years, especially from a human rights perspective.  It marked the very end of the transitional period from dictatorship to democracy and provided solid foundations for a prosperous country based upon the rule of law. Since 1949 Hungary had no legitimate constitution until the adoption of the new Fundamental Law, because in 1989-1990 only the former illegitimate Communist constitution forced upon Hungary in 1949 was amended extensively but not a new one adopted.
Turning to a wider horizon, 2012 is definitely an important year for the international community with continued challenges but also notable progress in the field of human rights regarding different country-situations or thematic issues

- Continued the confirmation of human rights as one of the central factors of international relations. Importance of strengthening the UN system, especially the role and the functioning of Human Rights Council, the human rights treaty bodies as well as the human rights profile of regional organizations, like the EU, the Council of Europe or the OSCE.

- One aspect of this is the appearance and confirmation of significant elements – like the right to water and sanitation – during the Rio+20 summit.

- Positive development of the year has been the adoption of a Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy by the EU, as well as the establishment of the post of the EUSR for Human Rights which we very much welcome.

Like during the previous forums the fifth one is organised around panel discussions devoted to selected human rights issues, with the participation of non-governmental and governmental stakeholders, as well as representatives of international organizations and the academic world in order to assure a truly meaningful dialogue. This year the four panel discussions will be covering the following topics:

a.) The first panel is entitled “Human rights defenders in the world – remembering Raoul Wallenberg”.
- One of the most important latest achievement in this topic was the adoption of the Declaration commonly known as the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders by the United Nations in 1998 that marked a historic achievement in the struggle for better protection of those at risk for carrying out legitimate human rights activities.
- Human rights defenders are those individuals, groups and organs of society that promote and protect universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms. Human rights defenders also promote and protect the rights of members of groups such as indigenous or minority communities. A human rights defender is anyone working for the promotion and protection of the above rights: professional as well as non-professional human rights workers, volunteers, journalists, lawyers and anyone else carrying out, even on an occasional basis, a human rights activity.
- States have a special responsibility to implement and respect all the provisions of the Declaration, in particular those aiming at protecting human rights defenders against any violence, reprisal or intimidation as a consequence of their human rights work.
- On international level continued support is needed for the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and appropriate regional mechanisms to protect human rights defenders.
- In this panel homage will be paid to Raoul Wallenberg, the courageous Swedish diplomat who during the Second World War saved thousands of lives of Hungarians of Jewish origin. The Hungarian Government dedicated this year to Raoul Wallenberg. The choice fell on this year because he would be a hundred years old this year if he had been blessed with a long life. Our intention with this memorial year was to make our young generation aware of what happened in Hungary, and have them realise the weight of anti-Semitic slogans and behaviour which is unacceptable and deeply hurts many, especially the rights of those, whose relatives suffered from a dictatorial regime. We organised school projects and competitions about Wallenberg. We also aimed other generations with exhibitions, and inaugurating new monuments – not only in Hungary, but all over the world. Conferences like this are also part of the Wallenberg year. Jewish, Hungarian and Swedish communities held common commemorations from Argentina to Sweden.
b.) The second panel discussion will address “Human rights education and training”.

- The protection of and the respect for human rights can only have sense and be efficient if people are aware of their rights. Educating human rights should therefore promote values, beliefs and attitudes that encourage all individuals to uphold their own rights and those of others.

- Human rights education should contribute to the long-term prevention of human rights abuses and represents an important step toward achievement of a just society in which all human rights of all persons are valued and respected.

- Hungary has a large minority – 6-8% of the population – which provides a complex challenge: the Roma population. They are helped as a minority group with representing bodies but they are also part of the programs aimed at the poverty stricken people. Poverty itself is complex, and deprives persons from practicing basic rights. Thus we set up and are further developing a Roma strategy on both national and EU level with a strong social inclusion program not only for the Roma people. This Roma strategy might serve as a model in the EU. We are proud of our Roma strategy and are more than happy to share our experiences in this field with everybody.

- Probably, at this point I should mention the protection of the family which is the foremost source and warranty of children’s and women’s rights. Families are the protective environment where children are safe. Thus Hungary is lobbying for declaring one of the upcoming years the “Year of the Family” in the EU. This would be especially appropriate in an aging Europe where sustainability should include a vision of a sustainable society. The Hungarian civic sector is quite active in this field, one of the strongest civilian organization for large families works in our country. (NOE, Nagycsaládosok Országos Egyesülete)

c.) The “Freedom of expression, including the freedom of internet” was placed on the agenda of this conference as the subject matter of the third panel.

- The internet introduced revolutionary changes in our everyday lives; it has become also a platform, a new tool par excellence for disseminating news, expressing opinions and ideas, forging communities.

- The freedom of internet was recognized this year by the UN Human Rights Council as a basic human right. In its resolution 20/8 the Council stated that “the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, in particular freedom of expression, which is applicable regardless of frontiers and through any media of one’s choice...”

- As this resolution has no binding effect, further efforts should be undertaken to continue the consideration of the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights, including the right to freedom of expression on the internet, as well as to define how the internet can be an important tool for development and for exercising human rights. But it may also become a danger against human rights, especially that of minors!

- Besides freedom of expression, also language rights must be mentioned here; the right to free use of one’s own native tongue and the right to learn all those languages one needs for free communication without limiting the right to use her or his native language.

In this spirit the last panel will deal with “Minority issues on the occasion of the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Right of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities”.

- Different peace treaties after different wars throughout the globe stipulated borders that disrespected national entities and their homelands and made millions of people effectively homeless or alien. Demographic likewise migratory trends also contribute to the creation and ill treatment of the ethnic, linguistic or religion minorities. In a series of states of the World this issue is being considered a political taboo, which fare does not mean that the problem in these states is non-existent.

- Europe still owes to pay attention for that historical debt. If Hungary calls for the respect of human rights of minorities including the right to use their mother tongue, the right to education in their mother tongue, the right to practice religious freedom in their communities, the right to self-government, Hungary is simply calling for respect of fundamental human rights. On our part we wish to contribute positively to overcome such historic burdens and offer yet another platform for a dialogue and deliberations on the observance of the rights of minorities.

When discussing in the different panels, I recommend to have respect for an old and fundamental but not always consequently applied rule; the equal value and thus for the need of equal treatment of all human beings and all nations. What is affordable for one of them must be affordable for all of them; what is required from one of them must be required from all of them. In human rights no double standards are acceptable! Because, dear friends, what is our vision? In the respect for human rights it is surely: no division! This is the very heart of the whole exercise!

Thank you for your kind attention. I am pleased to open 5th Budapest Human Rights Forum. I thank you all for your participation, your contribution and wish you a fruitful and useful deliberation.

(Külügyminisztérium)