28 January 2011, Geneva, Switzerland.  Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (2003) and a second term member of the Institute’s Board of Trustees gave a special lecture on human rights to the UNITAR staff at the Palais des Nations.  The lecture was in connection with her participation in the 50th session of the Board of Trustees (BOT) which takes place on the 31 January and 1 February 2011.

The UNITAR staff members had a unique and welcomed opportunity to listen to and interact with a world-recognized leader on human rights.  Speaking in her native Persian language, she shared her views on human rights and democracy:  “Democracy is like a flower.  It has to be cared for every day.  You cannot just pour a pitcher of water one day and forget about it for a month.  You have to water it and put it in the sun every day.  Democracy is the same.  There is no other solution than people taking care of it regularly.”

In her final statement, she encouraged young people to “have dreams to bring justice and peace to this world”.

Dr. Ebadi’s autobiography can be found in the Nobel prize website (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2003/ebadi-autobio.html)

UNITAR organizes lectures and presentations by members of its Board of Trustees at the occasion of the BOT meetings to benefit from the presence of a distinguished group of personalities.  For more information about UNITAR’s Board of Trustees, please refer to the Board of Trustees page.