In the spring of 1961, two Portuguese students raised their glasses in a restaurant in a toast to freedom. Unfortunately for them, that act landed them in jail. At the time Portugal was under the dictatorship of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, whose regime did not tolerate dissent. A British lawyer, outraged by their arrest, wrote an article entitled "The Forgotten Prisoners" about the plight of many such people around the world and the need to do something about it. The London Observer newspaper published the article on its front page. The lawyer, Peter Benenson, made the case for fundamental rights. He urged readers to write letters of protest to the Portuguese government. The document used the term "prisoners of conscience" for the first time.
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Human rights: we're all in this together
In the spring of 1961, two Portuguese students raised their glasses in a restaurant in a toast to freedom. Unfortunately for them, that act landed them in jail. At the time Portugal was under the dictatorship of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, whose regime did not tolerate dissent. A British lawyer, outraged by their arrest, wrote an article entitled "The Forgotten Prisoners" about the plight of many such people around the world and the need to do something about it. The London Observer newspaper published the article on its front page. The lawyer, Peter Benenson, made the case for fundamental rights. He urged readers to write letters of protest to the Portuguese government. The document used the term "prisoners of conscience" for the first time.
Enough food to go around
As I walk through my area supermarket I’m struck by the variety and quantity of food that is available to North American consumers.Contrast that with yesterday’s marking of World Food Day. At a conference in Rome, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched another appeal for the world to do better to feed millions of hungry people.
Jacques Diouf, FAO General Director, reflected on the supermarket paradox: “Our planet produces enough food to feed its entire population, yet tonight, 854 million women, men and children will be going to sleep on an empty stomach, without justification and without adequate compensation.”
Horst Kohler, the German President, issued a blunt assessment: “Poverty has two main causes: not being able to share sufficiently in globalization – mainly because of a lack of economic power and good governance and being disadvantaged by states and private players who pursue their own interests with no regard for others.”
Lack of economic power. Poor government. Greed.
Although we’re making continuing progress in world development, it’s clear there’s much work to be done.
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Photo courtesy "Stock.xchange": http://www.sxc.hu
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