Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,

Mr. Dennis Francis,

At UDHR75 Event to Announce the Renovation of the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial on the UN Grounds

15 December 2023

 

[As Delivered]

 

Your Excellency, Ms. Linda-Thomas Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the United States,

 

Mrs. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt,

Mr. Volker Türk, High Commissioner for Human Rights,

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

The commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights cannot be complete without paying deserved tribute to the indomitable spirit behind this landmark instrument – the renowned Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt.

Or – as US President Harry S. Truman called her – “The First Lady of the World”.

It is indeed an honour and a great privilege to gather today – particularly in the company of her granddaughter – to recognize Eleanor Roosevelt’s instrumental role in drafting the Universal Declaration; indeed, as she herself termed it the international Magna Carta of human rights.

Eleanor Roosevelt was a true luminary – whose profound commitment to justice, equality and dignity engraved an indelible mark on humanity.

In an era of stark geopolitical tensions, she was entrusted with chairing the Universal Declaration Drafting Committee – a role in which she deployed her exceptional diplomatic finesse to transcend political and cultural divides, build bridges and recall continually that human rights know no borders.

I should like to thank the Permanent Mission of the United States and Ambassador Greenfield for launching the renovation project of this beautiful monument – which will stand in longevity as a reminder of the transformational importance of Ms. Roosevelt’s life’s work.

Indeed, her words, these words, ring both as loud and as apt today, as they did in 1951:

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe it. One must work at it”.

In this year of unprecedented, extraordinary suffering, let us take these words to heart as we work for a brighter and safer world – a world of freedom from fear and from want.

Let us cherish our role as guardians of the bedrock belief that Eleanor Roosevelt and the other drafters of the Universal Declaration worked so ardently to define – that: “all human beings are born free and equal, in dignity and rights”.

How more true can this be.

I thank you.