I would like to thank the hundreds of thousands of Amnesty International members for their voluntary work for human rights all over the world. They again helped many people in the course of last year.
Respect for human rights is still not guaranteed in many countries around the world. That must change. Thanks to its international network and wealth of knowledge, Amnesty International is making a valuable contribution towards this goal. I hear that time and again from people on my travels.2011 was a year of change, especially in North Africa and Myanmar. And yet much remains to be done to ensure that human rights become part of the fabric of every society. Germany has to set an example here and must keep up its efforts to promote human rights. We are gratified by the praise for the German Government’s work but we also take the criticism seriously.