Rights mean nothing without peace: Miguel Bose

Geneva, June 6 (IANS/EFE) Peace is the essential requirement for the exercise of rights, Spanish singer-songwriter Miguel Bose said here.

The acclaimed musical artist came to Geneva to urge the UN Human Rights Council to work toward a Universal Declaration of the Right to Peace.

The push for such a declaration is an initiative of the Peace Without Borders Foundation, led by Bose and Colombian superstar Juanes.

"The right to peace is more than the absence of war," Bose Wednesday told a press conference in Geneva.

"It's the parasol for the other rights, because without peace, the other rights cannot be exercised: the right to education, to health, to (freedom of) religion, to freedom of expression, et cetera."

Bose and the other campaigners want the Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the right-to-peace working group.

Acknowledging that the process is likely to take a long time, the singer insisted the quest for peace cannot be put off.

"What is most surprising is that the four pillars which sustain the United Nations are peace, security, human rights and development. Peace is the first and it's the only one that is not applied," Bose said.

--IANS/EFE

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