Author(s):
Kjell Knudsen <webmasterSPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org> .
Wednesday 20 October 2004
ICBL Ambassador Jody Williams was in Vienna recently on the invitation of President-Designate of the Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World, Ambassador Wolfgang Petritsch.
Jody Williams and Wolfgang Petritisch (right) in the Town Hall, Vienna, 7 October 2004. Credit: Judith Majlath.
The visit on 7 October included a meeting between Jody Williams, Amb. Petritsch, Alexander Kmennt and Judith Majlath from Austrian Aid for Mine Victims and Members of the Austrian Parliament from the Green Party, the Social-Democrats and the People's Party.
In the evening, Ambassadors Petritsch and Williams gave a lecture on Multilateralism, Globalism and Human Security.
Ambassador Petritsch talked about the urgent need of a return to multilateralism within the global disarmament talks.
Jody Williams gave a lively speech on human security, the lack thereof, multilateralism, the success of the cooperation between NGO's, parliamentarians and governments to reach the Ottawa treaty, and the need for ongoing cooperation.
Jody admitted that there are moments in which use of force might be necessary, she is not a pacifist she said. But as a human rights activist she proclaimed that violence is always a matter of choice; individual or collective choice and should be governed by the standards of international law. Williams emphasized the need for multilateralism and the urgent need for reform of the UN-System. She offered the Ottawa Treaty as one example of how the international community can work successfully in order to make the world a safer place.
As long as there is endemic poverty and people are deprived of their basic human needs, she said, the world will not be a safe place.
Mrs. Williams spoke eloquently not only about human rights but also about human responsibility. The responsibility to act, because, as she emphasized, "empathy without action is meaningless".
The event received coverage in several newspapers, including 'Kurier', 'Salzburger Nachrichten' and 'Der Standard' and Williams and Petritsch were interviewed on national television.