320th Birthday of Voltaire

              Last month, precisely on 21st, the French writer known by Voltaire would complete 320 years-old, so this post is a tribute to this very important writer for the human rights and education. This post is a summary of four articles. The first was published http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire. The second was published at https://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap4d.html .The third was published http://francois-marie-voltaire.wikispaces.com/Main+Ideas+and+Contributions+to+Enlightenment. The fourth http://rebirthofreason.com/Articles/dickeymf/Philosophical_Foundations_of_the_En.

       François Marie Arouet (Voltaire) was born in Paris and died in the same city with 83 years-old. He was an enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his advocacy of freedom of religion, freedom of speech and separation of church and state. The youngest of the five children, his father was a lawyer. By the time he left school, Voltaire had decided become a writer. From early on, Voltaire had trouble for critiques of the government and religious intolerance. He mainly argued for freedom of thought. He believed in the concept of an enlightenment. In 1726, Voltaire responded to an insult from the young nobleman, whose servants beat him. Since Voltaire was seeking compensation, so he was imprisoned without a trial. This incident marked him. Voltaire's exile in Great Britain lasted nearly three years, and his experiences there greatly influenced his thinking. Voltaire perceived the bourgeoisie to be small and ineffective, the aristocracy to be parasitic and corrupt, the commoners as ignorant, and the church as a static force. Voltaire distrusted democracy with idiocy, given the extremely high rates of illiteracy of the time, and that it was in the rational interest to improve the education. He is remembered is a courageous polemicist who indefatigably fought for civil rights and who denounced the hypocrisies and injustices of his time.

          If the guillotine is the most negative image of the French Revolution, then the most positive is surely the Declaration of the Rights of Man. When the revolutionaries drew up the Declaration in 1789, they aimed to topple the institutions surrounding monarchy and establish new ones based on the principles of the Enlightenment, a philosophical movement. The goal of the Enlightenment's proponents was to apply the methods learned from the scientific revolution to the problems of society. Further, its advocates commited themselves to "reason" and "liberty." Knowledge, its followers believed, could only come from the careful study of actual conditions and the application of an individual's reason. Enlightenment writers, such as Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau, influenced ordinary readers, politicians, and even heads of state. In the British North American colonies, American revolutionaries put some of their ideas into practice and in the new Constitution of the United States. The Declaration of the Rights of Man, brought together two streams of thought: one from the Anglo-American tradition of legal and constitutional guarantees of individual liberties, the other from the belief that reason should guide all human affairs. The vision of these most idealistic, perhaps truest believers in the Declaration of the Rights of Man, might best be understood not as a utopian dream or resentful opposition, but as a nascent and imperfectly formed, but broad and vibrant theory of an open and democratic society. 

       Voltaire's main contribution to the Enlightenment was freedom of speech, freedom of press and religion and opposition to monarchy, militarism and slavery. He was a crusader against tyranny and bigotry. He did not want to create a perfect world. He just wanted everyone to know that it could be a better place if we substituted ignorance for knowledge and rational thought. He was a vigorous defender of science. Voltaire had a passion for clarity and reason and he had a horror for the violence. 

         The "Age of Enlightenment" embodied tremendous intellectual and social advancement. It was a movement in philosophy. The result was much of the cherished progress of the modern world, from human rights to modern liberal democracies. The enlightenment, called the "Age of Reason" can be most appropriately understood as the extension of the same principles of reason Renaissance thinkers applied to three major branches of philosophy but now extended into the remaining, previously divinely governed, areas, ethics, and politics. Where the Renaissance was the rebirth of reason, The Enlightenment was its maturity. Voltaire posed an introspective hypothetical in "The Story of the Good Brahman," You see a good learned man anguishing over so many things he studies and he is unhappy about the world but this stupid person down the river, who never cares or thinks, lives with happiness. He asks everyone, if you can sacrifice your intellect and thought and be as happy as the idiot at the river, would you sacrifice? And none say yes, even though they all claim happiness is  the  ultimate motivation. Voltaire was probing into a much deeper question, what is the purpose or goal of happiness? Is it mere hedonistic pleasure, or cultivating a particular kind of life according to a standard of decent human potential and morality? Voltaire's conclusions would shape Enlightenment, "the only antidote to suffering and despair is to work to cultivate the human garden." Voltaire's universe was based on reason, and reading translated works on Confucianism, brought into Europe by the Jesuits of the late 1600's, Voltaire no doubt at least found parallels, if not inspiration, in the writing of the scholarly elite of China, who for centuries traveled from province to province serving as spiritual, moral, and political advisors to the ruling class. With the application of reason to every philosophical realm: truth, existence, art, morality, and politics, all the great progress of the modern world: freedom, democracy, science, would be forged, because in cultures that adopted the ideals of the Enlightenment a flourishing to an extent never before seen in the history of humanity would take root, ushering a period of unequaled material affluence, unprecedented scientific growth and unequivocal individual freedom.

Human Rights Day 2014

                Last 10th December all the world celebrated the Human Rights Day. So this post is a tribute to all person that fight for these fundamental and essential rights.This day we can not forget the victims of human rights's violation, their suffering, their humiliation, and  their search for justice. When a serious human right violation happens, we all should fight against impunity, because this precedent could mean a danger to democracy, to the rule of law, and open path to more abuses. Sometimes it is difficult to gather evidence of the violations, but once there are so many with so many witnesses, we all only have to have the courage. This post is a summary of three articles. The first with the title above was published at  http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/HRDay2014/Pages/HRD2014.asp. The second was published at www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/commemorate-human-rights-day-rightsed. The third was published at http://thecommonwealth.org/media/news/secretary-generals-statement-human-rights-day-2014

              On 10 December every year, Human Rights Day, commemorates the date on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR). This year's slogan, Human Rights 365, encompasses the idea that every day is Human Right Day. It celebrates the fundamental proposition in the UDHR that each one of us, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights, that human rights belong equally to each of us and bind us together as a global community with the same ideals and values. In 2014 the message from Human Rights 365 is unequivocal: the UN Human Rights Office stands by its mandate and stands with the millions of men and women globally who take risks for human rights.

             December 10 is the anniversary of the adoption by the UN of the UDHR. The UDHR sets out a certain set of rights that are the basic and minimum set of human rights for all citizens. Setting aside a day to commemorate, educate and reflect on the principles that form the UDHR means celebrating the rights we exercise everyday as citizens, and acknowledging that enjoying those rights carries with it the responsibility of promoting these rights for all people. Things that many of us take for granted, such as the right to education, the right to receive medical care, and the right to privacy, are not equally available to all citizens. Many individuals and communities will be commemorating and celebrating December 10, and pledging a commitment to maintain and improve people's human rights wherever possible.

           Human rights are universal, enduring, and inalienable. They belong to all people at all times in all places, irrespective of nationality, of class, of race, of gender, of sexual orientation, or any other distinction. These universal rights are all interrelated, interdependent, and indivisible. Human rights bear upon all aspects of our lives. They accord protection by emphasising the freedom of the individual from undue interference by the state, by proscribing behaviour that is injurious to personal dignity and liberty, and by according to all the freedom to participate in civic and political life. They relate to fundamental elements of human well-being concerning work, social security, family life, access to housing, food, water, health care, education. They define clearly the expectation each and every individual should have for a meaningful, dignified and secure life. They are a measure and a demarcation designed to prevent abuse of power, to reduce avoidable suffering, and to empower the disadvantage. Human rights must be more than mere aspirations and declarations. Nor are they discretionary, they are fundamental. The central importance of human rights to all that we do is increasingly being recognised. We see evidence of this in many encouraging achievements. Human rights must be at the core of all we do, and advancing them is our collective responsibility. This commitment can unite us, as we demand responses that are equitable and empowering for all. We welcome the encouragement and support that solidarity brings, and remain resolute in our determination to secure the decent, safe and dignified lives that are the right of every citizen.

International Anti-Corruption Day

              Last Tuesday, 9th December, all the world celebrated the fight against corruption. This post is a tribute for everyone who help in this fight: journalists, judges, lawyers, whistleblowers, activists, public servants that work directly with this crime and anyone else that could have done something to help this fight. This post is a summary of four articles. The first with the title above was published at http://www.anticorruptionday.org/actagainstcorruption/en/about-the-campaign/ed-message-on-anti-corruption-day-2014.html. The second with the title of, "Time to act together to end corruption." It was published at  http://www.transparency.org/news/feature/act_together_to_end_corruption. The third http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2013/09/25/the-role-for-anti-corruption-and-governance-looking-to-2015-and-beyond-http. The fourth was published at http://www.un.org/en/events/anticorruptionday/

               Corruption reaches into boardrooms, governments, law enforcement, education, healthcare and sport, among many other areas. No country, region or field of endeavour escapes the pull of this crime. Corruption drives up prices, erodes business credibility, diverts public funds and undermines equity and fairness across societies. It may be seen in missing tracts of forest, lost classrooms, absent hospitals and building effective institutions. In the face of these challenges, our global resistance to corruption hinges on every country ratifying and implementing the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), as well as entering into its peer review mechanism. This tool funded on the mutual trust of nations working side by side has proven to be a transformational experience for participating countries and is delivering tangible results. These range from meaningful reform to the strengthening of anti-corruption institutions all over the world. But other also have a nurturing role. Business, and business groups need to speak out, and in doing so, acknowledge that a company's brand is driven by good practices, ethical behaviour and sound procurement rules. Civil society is also working to ensure that corruption is confronted. This work is crucial and UNODC will continue to work closely with civil society in the future. On the International Day against Corruption, I welcome the efforts against corruption undertaken by governments, UN agencies, the private and public sector, civil society and the media.

            Corruption is one of the most serious challenges of our time. Nearly all of us are victims of corruption: whether we are poor and can not afford to pay a bribe for basic services or taxpayers whose hard-earned money gets misappropriated. Victims of conflict, voters whose democratic rights are stolen or factory workers who lose their lives working in unsafe building all suffer from the same scourge. Nothing feeds corruption more than apathy, or the belief nothing can be done and it is "just the way life is". This portrayal of corruption allows impunity to flourish, it allows the corrupt to get away with it. But not for long. There is compelling and overwhelming evidence that people throughout the world have had enough and are willing to take action to stop corruption. Two in three people believe that ordinary people can make a difference in the fight against corruption and more than 90% of people would be willing to be engaged in the fight against corruption. When people act, then change will happen. The Declaration Against Corruption seeks to inspire, nothing more or less than a global wave of people standing up to corruption and demanding dignity for themselves and others.

              Making anti-corruption policies part of daily life and create more accountability at national and international levels were at the core of a global panel discussion held in the 68th U.N. General Assembly. The panel gathered to debate the role of anti-corruption and governance in the post-2015 Development Agenda and launch the anti-corruption web-portal WWW.ANTI-CORRUPTION.ORG, a UN agency tool led by UNDP to contribute to the discussion on the role of transparency and accountability in effective service delivery. "UNDP has learned from experience that works best are specific anti-corruption measures integrated into basic service delivery systems coupled with an increase in the engagement of civil society," said Rebeca Grynspan, UNDP Administrator. She adds, "development goals to be achieved, not only economies need to grow, but revenues must be invested back in better services and improvements for all people." The panel also discuss the correlation between corrupt practices and key development indicators such as gender equality, youth empowerment, universal access to water, health and education. There is a growing consensus among member states representatives on the importance of integrating transparency and accountability measures in development policies as a way to prevent waste of crucial resources that are aimed at financing development. "Opening data is key to combating corruption. We are opening our data and showing where corruption is, and sharing lessons learned on what we can do to improve," said Heiki Holmas, Minister of Norway. "It is important to focus more on building strong institutions rather than new frameworks for anti-corruption," said Ngozi Okonjo, Minister of Nigeria.

               Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon. Corruption undermines democratic institutions and slow economic development. Corruption attacks the foundation of democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, perverting the rule of law and creating bureaucratic quagmires whose only reason for existing is the soliciting of bribes.