WORLD | Mexican Ombudsman promotes culture of respect and diversity at GANHRI Annual Meeting

On the occasion of the 30^th GANHRI (Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions) Annual Meeting in Geneva, an annual conference on “Early warning, conflict prevention and re-establishment of peaceful societies: the role of NHRIs” was held.

The new IOI Board Member, Luis Raúl González Pérez, President of the National Human Rights Commission of Mexico, gave a very good insight into the topic of “Factors contributing to a climate of violence”.

He addressed the issue of hate speech that is now becoming increasingly relevant again and which threatens the recognition of the intrinsic dignity, and the equal and inalienable rights that correspond to every person. "Hate speech comes to be current and valid as a renewed rhetoric that degrades, intimidates, promotes prejudices and incites the violence against individuals and groups, not only for the reasons of race, but mainly because of cultural differences, based on nationality, social and economic status, sexual preferences or religious beliefs."

Referring to the most vulnerable groups of our time, migrants and refugees, Mr. González Pérez emphasized that “From the logic of human rights, we have learned that prejudice leads to discrimination, discrimination leads to persecution and persecution leads to extermination”. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of promoting a culture of respect for multiculturalism and of showing the richness and value of living and coexisting in diversity as well as of combating discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance.

IOI Secretary General, Günther Kräuter, congratulated the Mexican Ombudsman to his excellent and inspiring speech and expressed his gratitude to welcome him to the IOI Annual Board Meeting which will take place in Vienna in April 2017.