Gomes collects human rights award
Published:Wednesday | December 10, 2008 | 10:10 AM
Nations around the world are marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The 30-point document was adopted by the UN in the aftermath of World War II and emphasises rights and freedoms that are held to apply to everyone in the world.
The Declaration has come to form the basis of much international law and has provided moral and legal backing for UN action against human rights violators.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says it is needed now as much as it was in 1948.
The Executive Director of human rights lobby group Jamaicans For Justice, Dr. Carolyn Gomes, is expected today to receive an award from the United Nations for her work in human rights.
On November 26, the UN announced that she would be one of seven persons, from a list of 189 nominees to receive the 2008 UN Award in the field of human rights.
The award ceremony is being held in New York.
The UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights is awarded by the General Assembly every five years.
It is given to individuals or organisations in recognition of their contribution to human rights advocacy.
Dr Martin Luther King Junior and Nelson Mandela are among previous recipients of the award.