
Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende opens the Oslo Freedom Forum by honoring Václav Havel’s ideals of liberty. He reminds us of the importance of uniting globally to oppose oppressive regimes, and calls for state leaders to sound the alarm whenever a decrease in freedom in any country is observed. Praising those who risk their lives in the fight for freedom, he recalls Havel’s beliefs that human rights are universal and that it is our responsibility to protect them.