16 February 2004: The Spanish version of the Commission on Human Security (CHS) "La Seguridad Humana - Ahora" was launched in Madrid. The event took place at the headquarters of the Press Association of Madrid and was cosponsored by the Press Association of Madrid, the José Ortega y Gasset Foundation and the UNHCR Office in Spain.

The meeting started by a tribute to Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, the late UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who was killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August 2003. Ms. Sonia Picado Sotela, President of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights and a member of CHS and the Advisory Board on Human Security(ABHS) thereafter introduced the report, underlining the relationship and the mutually reinforcing connections between human rights and human security. Mr. Fernando González Urbaneja, President of the Press Association of Madrid and Mr. Antonio Garrigues Walker, President of the José Ortega y Gasset Foundation, offered comments on the report and highlighted the importance of the human security approach to security issues as well as the currency of the Commission's conclusions.

The session was concluded with a general debate in which many of the participants, representing a large cross-section of government, academia, media and civil society organizations, shared their views on issues pertaining to human security.

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