Enhancing Human Dignity: The Role of NGOs 2009

Leaders of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from throughout the world join together at the World Congress of NGOs to discuss issues of pressing importance for the Third Sector. Known often as charities, nonprofits, and civil society organizations, NGOs assume a key role in tackling serious challenges confronting humanity and the world.

The theme for the 2009 World Congress of NGOs is Enhancing Human Dignity: The Role of NGOs 2009. The concept of human dignity is fundamental to the character of being human, signifying that all human beings possess an intrinsic worthiness. This intrinsic worthiness is widely recognized by international law as the source of all human rights. As noted in the Preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), respect is owed to every individual by the mere fact that he or she is a member of the human family. Article 1 of this same Declaration notes that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, are endowed with reason and conscience, and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) state that human rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human being.