Remarks of
Pino Arlacchi
Under-Secretary-General
Director-General and Executive Director
at the
Ceremony for the Presentation of the
Third United Nations Vienna Civil Society Award
Rathaus
Vienna
5 December 2001
Minister Ferrero-Waldner, Mayor H?upl, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The United Nations Vienna Civil Society Award honours outstanding contributions in promoting civil society, particularly through fighting drug abuse, crime and terrorism.
Since we gathered exactly one year ago in this same room to bestow this honour, the world has become a more dangerous place. A place where the forces of violence and death, anger and hatred, seem to be taking centre stage.
Yet it has also been a year when the United Nations and its Secretary-General were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. From his first days in office, Kofi Annan has spoken out on the need for the United Nations to work more closely with civil society in the interest of peace and social justice.
This Award was established by the Federal Government of Austria, the City of Vienna and the United Nations in furtherance of this goal. It links the people of Vienna and Austria with the United Nations.
At the same time, it provides the opportunity to reach out to people around the world, by honouring individuals and groups who have made outstanding contributions to protecting people from drug abuse, crime and terrorism.
There were many worthy nominees this year. The four selected to receive the award exemplify an unusual degree of dedication and courage. All four come from countries that have been faced with violence or social disruption in recent years. Yet this has not prevented them from stepping forward from the crowd and taking the lead to protect those who are the most vulnerable and those who are victims. They deserve our respect as heroes they are living proof that heroes need not resort to violence to achieve justice.
Saida Benhabyles of Algeria became involved in community work early in her life. Over the years, she took on a leading role in advocating the rights of victims of terrorism in the tragic circumstances that developed in her country. She also took on the cause of womens rights. Repeated death threats from terrorist groups and the kidnapping of her own daughter have not stopped her. She was the driving force behind the creation of an organization that gives a voice to the victims of terrorism in Algeria the Federation of the Victims of Terrorism. Her dedication has been the hallmark of a distinguished political career as a Minister and a Senator and on the global stage as a member of the Administrative Council for the World Summit on Women. The people of Algeria especially those who are victims of terrorism or injustice have a voice that is not afraid to speak out on their behalf. Saida Benhabyles, we salute you.
Athanase Rwamo has dedicated himself to the protection of children in Burundi from hunger, exploitation and the effects of drug abuse. He reaches out to street children, those in the human family who are most vulnerable to nearly every form of violence and injustice. Through an NGO that he created, Humanitarian Action for the Protection and Development of Children in Difficulty, he provides shelter and employment opportunities, as well as education on how to avoid drug abuse. Ten shelters offer immediate protection. Four hundred children have already been integrated into families. Over two hundred now have jobs. In the face of the AIDS epidemic that is ravaging Burundi, he created a second NGO, the Association for the Care of AIDS Orphans. This group provides special assistance for the children who live in the streets because their parents have died of AIDS. Another initiative gives special assistance to war-affected children. The children of Burundi have a true friend. Athanase Rwamo, we salute you.
Veronica Colondam saw with deep concern the spread of drug abuse among the young people of Indonesia. She joined with others to create an organization, YCAB, whose full name translates as Loving the Nations Children. The organization has in less than two years of existence become a dynamic force in the prevention of drug abuse. Drawing on the theme from last years World Drug Day Turn on Music, Turn Off Drugs a popular band created by YCAB has spread the message to over one hundred twenty schools. YCAB has held thousands of one-on-one sessions with students and has established special outreach facilities in nine high schools. The YCAB hotline offers drug counselling, and workshops aim at ensuring a lasting impact of the prevention message. A wide audience is also reached through public service announcements on four television stations, articles in the youth press and on websites, interviews on popular talk shows and regular speaking engagements to civic and religious groups. Indonesian civil society has a young woman with a noble cause and the energy to convert it into a true force for the prevention of drug abuse. Veronica Colondam, we salute you.
The Instituto Mundo Libre in Peru was founded in 1985 to promote the development of the countrys youth. Its target group is street children those with the highest risk of drug abuse. Priority goes to initiatives aimed both at preventing drug abuse and at helping those who have already fallen victim. A clinic was opened in 1993 that includes treatment of addiction. None of the children who came to the programme were in school. After rehabilitation, over half were enrolled. Many who went through the programme have gone on to receive training in computer technology, music, carpentry and many other fields. The Institute also takes the drug abuse prevention message to the whole of Peruvian society. It has educated directly more than sixty-five thousand people in fourteen cities and worked with the Ministry of Justice to set up the first mass media prevention campaign in the country. The people of Peru, especially its street children, have an advocate and a source of help. Instituto Mundo Libre, we salute you.
We will now proceed with the presentation of the awards.