1998 United Nations Human Rights Prizes.

On 10 December, the United Nations awarded the 1998 Human Rights Prizes to five outstanding individuals, honouring them for their courage and determination in upholding human rights. A sixth prize pays tribute to all human rights defenders all over the world.

The recipients, selected from among 400 nominations, are:

* Sunila Abeyesekara is the Executive Director of INFORM, a key human rights organization in Sd Lanka. An activist for almost 30 years on women's rights, armed conflicts and conflict resolution, she has been influential in advocacy within the UN human rights system and has established several organizations supporting human rights and democracy in her country.

* Angelina Acheng Atyam, a midwife and mother of six, is a founding member of the Concerned Parents Association. The organization represents Ugandan parents demanding the release of their daughters, 139 girls from St. Mary's School, abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army in October 1996. A powerful spokesperson, giving voice to thousands of families whose children have been abducted, she has worked tirelessly to secure the release of the children in captivity.

* Jimmy Carter, former United States President, has long been committed to the international defence of human rights. contributing to a peaceful solution of the civil war in Liberia and the restoration of democracy in Haiti. On various occasions, the Garter Center, based in Atlanta, United States, has played a significant role in brokering peace talks between warring parties.

* Jose Gregori, head of the recently created National Secretariat for Human Rights, has been involved in defending human rights for over 40 years. When the military regime took power in Brazil, he worked for the restoration of democracy in his country. He has also been active in strengthening national and regional cooperation in the promotion and protection of human rights.

* One of the founding members of "Charter 77"-a forum of civic resistance against Soviet domination in Czechoslovakia - Anna Sabatova has been involved in human rights activities for three decades. She was sentenced to three years imprisonment for distributing leaflets, reminding the citizens of her country that to vote in parliamentary elections is not a duty but a right.

This year's Prize to Human Rights Defenders honours the thousands of courageous individuals who straggle to promote human rights through their involvement in civic organization, the media, the courts, police stations and prisons, as well as through trade unions and women's groups.

The Human Rights Prizes took on a special significance this year as it marked the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Secretary-General Keri Annan, together with United Nations High Conmissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, presented the awards in the General Assembly, at the opening of the all-day special commemoration of the anniversary.

Since 1968, the United Nations awards Human Rights Prizes every five years, on 10 December - Human Rights Day - to honour the inspiring efforts of individuals and organizations to defend human rights.

Among 28 individuals and 7 organizations who received the Prizes before are: Eleonor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bishop Abel Muzorewa, Amnesty International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Rene Cassin, one of the drafters of the Universal Declaration and recipient of the 1968 Nobel Peace Prize.

The United Nations will commemorate the Prizes with a plaque on display at UN Headquarters, recognizing the commitment of many courageous ordinary people to defend the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.

FACT NOTE: The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

The post of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was established by the General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendations of the Vienna Declaration and Plan of Action adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights. Appointed by the Secretary-General for a renewable four-year term, the High Commissioner is responsible for the coordination of all human rights activities of the Organization, including:

* Building global partnerships for human rights;

* Preventing human rights violations and responding to emergencies;

* Promoting human rights, together with democracy and development, as the guiding principles for lasting peace; and

* Coordinating the system-wide strengthening and streamlining of the United Nations human rights programme.

The current High Commissioners is Mrs. Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, who took office in 1997. She succeeded Jose Ayala-Lasso of Ecuador, who served from April 1994 until March 1997. In September 1997, Secretary-General Kofi Annan further strengthened the Office by merging it with the Centre for Human Rights, consolidating them into a single Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Headquartered in Geneva, OHCHR maintains a liaison office in New York, as well as numerous country offices around the world, with a combined staff of some 200 experts. It operates on an annual budget of some $20 million, about 1.7 per cent of the United Nations regular budget. However, the growing number of human rights activities in the field has led to a sharp rise in programme costs ($54 million in 1998), making it necessary to increasingly rely on voluntary contributions to finance its expanding activities.