Basil Fernando
Executive Director of Asian Human Rights Commission

The participants of the Asian Conference to Commemorate the Kwangju Uprising and to Declare the ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS CHARTER - A People’s Charter adopted a resolution strongly endorsing the ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS CHARTER and agreed to follow up the declaration with a concrete programme of action. Thus the participants of this conference have collectively declared this Charter. And the participants have agreed to take it to a wider audience by way of translating the Charter into all Asian languages and to conduct a wider debate on the ways of implementing human rights in Asia.

This Charter is an affirmation by the Asian people on human rights and democracy. It will help further activate the Asian people to fight against every form of discrimination of the indigenous peoples. The Charter affirms the need for recognition of racial equality.

We are fortunate to declare this Charter at the city of Kwangju when it is celebrating the 1980 uprising of the Kwangju citizens. We join the mourning of the Kwangju people who are engaged in remembering their loved ones who laid down their lives for democracy. The ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS CHARTER expresses the same concepts, ideas and sentiments as those who motivated the Kwangju Uprising. Thus the declaration of this Charter in this city is an appropriate expression of Asian solidarity with the people of Kwangju.

We thank all those who have participated in the process of drafting the ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS CHARTER.

We especially thank the co-sponsors of this conference - Kwangju Citizens’ Solidarity and all other groups and people of Kwangju - who have generously given their time and resources for the success of this conference. We also thank the volunteers from the city of Kwangju who have made a valuable contribution for the success of this event.