LIAISON Vol. 3, No. 1, January 1999

Liaison Newsletter > LIAISON Vol. 3, No. 1, January 1999 - Articles

A FEW THOUGHTS ON THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
By Ian Wildeboer, Project Officer - Human Rights/Research and Information Officer

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is now 50 years old. In 1948, during a General Assembly meeting in Paris, 48 countries, including Canada, adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which became "the soul" of the United Nations. This past year we have had the chance to take a step back and contemplate its impact and its importance on our daily lifes. Many committed UNA-Canada members, from all over Canada, used this singular opportunity to highlight the importance of human rights in their community. At the national office, I was one of many who worked on the Human Rights Project to help mark this important year.

The foundation of the Project at the National Office was laid in 1996, by the Hon.Walter McLean and Peter Globensky, who from their tour of Canada compiled a report, Promises to Keep, which listed ways in which NGOs, Government Departments, schools, community groups and individuals can take part in marking the 50th Anniversary.

Their work also opened the lines of communication to some 350 organizations and individuals, across Canada, involved with human rights. Our chief sponsor, the Department of Canadian Heritage, saw this as a good thing and felt that we were best suited to take on the role as a clearing-house for the anniversary year. At that time they also commissioned us to develop a human rights resource guide for students, which we later named, Action Guide: A Human Rights Resource Manual for Secondary Schools.

First on the list of priorities was a mail-out to everyone involved in the consultations with Walter and Peter. The mail-out included participation forms, information sheets and a little reminder to individuals and organizations to live up to their "promise". After receiving a very favourable response we were able to develop an informative human rights homepage, as well as a varied National Calendar of Events on our website.

Then came the development of the Action Guide. The purpose of the Guide was to encourage students and teachers to become active in the promotion of human rights in their schools and communities. Around 5000 guides were produced, 3000 of which were sent to secondary schools and CEGEPs across Canada. My last task was to include the development of a speaker's list on human rights, which is a compilation of a diverse pool of human rights speakers willing to attend initiatives requiring their expertise.

This was an important year for Human Rights. Not only was it a time to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it was also the beginning of a new human rights era. Throughout this year we have seen the definition of human rights broadening, even to the point of questioning the freedom of actions that one can wield within a sovereign state. Take for example, the Pinochet case in London, England. The British House of Lords has sent a clear message to countries around the world: "You can no longer get away with commiting gross human right violations!" It is my hope that this message grows stronger! If this year has reaffirmed one basic truth, it is this: If Human Rights are not our concern, we will look in vain to see our goverments concerned by them. If the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has meant anything to us, it has meant that we must look at the work that still needs to be done. And do it! We can't commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration forever, but we can and we must keep on respecting the rights enshrined in it.