The year 1998 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights (adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10,
1948). One of the principal focuses for many organizations over the
next eighteen months or so will be the celebration of this important
anniversary. The commemoration of this occasion is also suggested as
a primary focal point around which groups from all sectors of society
could foster community action and involvement - culminating in significant
activities in December, 1998.
In anticipation of the Declaration’s 50th Anniversary,
the Hon. Walter F. McLean and Peter-André Globensky undertook a national
consultation on behalf of UNA-Canada to determine whether Canadians were
interested in commemorating this special occasion. The consultation found
significant support at both governmental and non-governmental levels across
the country for commemorating the anniversary. In the report of the consultation,
101 activities were suggested as possible ways to commemorate the Declaration’s
50th Anniversary. These ideas were not limited to our Association!! The
Report was circulated widely to government offices and organizations or
individuals which had participated in one way or another in the consultation
process. A number of these activities and concepts have been elaborated
on below, however, in order to stimulate ideas on how you might celebrate
the Anniversary while raising awareness and understanding of the Universal
Declaration. None of the ideas are cast in stone - and many are ideas
that can be promoted to others for their action, rather than for direct
action by your own group. It is not necessary, or even possible, for any
group "to do it all" on their own, but we can all be catalysts
to activate other segment of our communities. Don’t let the length
of ideas terrify you - find the ones that tickle your fancy or tweak your
interest - and fit into your own priorities and resources.
1. Building on Existing Events:
While rewarding, it takes a great deal of work to establish highly
visible events from scratch. On the other hand there are events that
will happen in every community on an annual basis that could be targeted
or focused on human rights issues. To save your limited time and effort
which could then be focused towards other more specific or special commemorative
activities, consider approaching events which are already established
and determine whether you can either work with them or activate them
on their own to integrate the Declaration theme into their event (for
that year). A number of suggestions include:
- Approach and use existing events, such as a Women’s
Day March, Boy Scout Jamboree, Gay Pride Day, Senior’s Week,
etc. throughout the year to draw attention to human rights issues,
both focused (like women’s or children’s rights) and the
broader area of human rights.
- Approach local festivals (multicultural, arts,
and music) and promote the idea that they focus their agenda on the
Declaration of Human Rights. They need themes for their events in
any case!
- Try the same approach with any or all of the cultural
institutions in your community. Every theatre and musical group, gallery,
or museum needs to plan a series of programmes for their 1998 season.
Why not adopt a human rights theme or issue for all or part of those
plans?
- The same approach could be applied to major local
events such as the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Winterlude or the
Tulip Festival in Ottawa/Hull, or Old Home Week in Charlottetown to
publicize the Year. Again - suggest to organizers of the event that
they include a human rights theme in their plans.
- Take advantage of human rights related days which
occur throughout the year (such as Aboriginal Heritage Day, Labour
Day, International Women’s Day, and the Day to End Racial Discrimination).
Organizing or participating in events on these days is a good way
of focusing on issues and covering many aspects of human rights over
the year. It also gives the media a specific angle on which to work.
- Make contact with local service groups - they have
weekly or monthly meetings and could use suggestions as to topics. It
might be a direct opportunity to raise the UN flag with a new audience.
2. Special Events
There are thousands of different types of activities which can be held
to celebrate the anniversary of the Declaration. A brain storming session
could help determine what events would be best in your particular area.
Here are several suggestions from the consultation which might help
stimulate further ideas.
- Organize a conference or seminar on Human Rights
Day (December 10) to educate individuals about human rights and to
provide a focus for media attention. A conference would allow you
to educate people about a number of human rights issues in greater
depth than many other activities. It could even be the start of an
annual process to mark one of the major days on the UN’s calendar.
- Approach a prominent member of the literary community
to publicly discuss the importance of freedom of expression. - or
perhaps encourage the local library to take this on as their contribution.
- Have a contest for cartoonists or artists who
can submit art works on the theme of human rights - this could be
a good collaborative project in conjunction with a local school of
art.
- Organize and encourage the creation of community
murals on public or private walls (with permission of course) centered
on the Declaration theme.
- Approach universities about awarding Honorary
Degrees to deserving human rights activists, thereby providing recognition
of the individuals’ work and providing a human rights focus for
the media.
- Organize a series of lectures on human rights
issues by individuals involved in local, national, or international
human rights. Possible lecturers could be scholars, human rights activists,
human rights monitors, peace-keepers, aid workers, or members of the
local human rights commission.
- Focus on those in the community who have particular
experiences with human rights abuses. This could be an ideal opportunity
to develop links with other organizations in your community with whom
you can organize shared activities. One possible focus with a clear
UN connection would be refugees - especially those from countries
with poor human rights records. This provides concrete assistance
for those in need of help and illustrates the plight of the millions
of people who suffer gross violations of their human rights, perhaps
increasing public support for greater efforts to promote and secure
human rights.
- Approach retail outlets about setting up store-front
displays on the Human Rights/Anniversary theme. Perhaps this could
be used in conjunction with any contest as a way to give public recognition
to winners (and other participants).
- The same idea could be used for public spaces
- libraries, city halls, community centres, etc.
- Work on a "report card" (as often seen
in the environment movement) to grade the national and provincial
governments on human rights.
- Think of ways to honour the contributions of local
human rights heroes, particularly un-sung ones. This provides a focus
for media attention and might encourage people to become involved
in promoting human rights.
- Establish "social justice fairs" where
the public can be educated in a festival atmosphere. Most are more
receptive to learning when it is fun.
- Arrange for a human rights quilt, with participating
communities or groups or individuals creating one square on the quilt.
Each square could relate to a specific human rights issues or to some
individual or group that has "made a difference".
- Develop a mechanism through which to nominate individuals
in your area who have advanced the cause of human rights in Canada and
abroad. Have a group of judges select the winners and honour them appropriately.
3. Local Government and Community Groups
Obviously much more work can be done to commemorate the 50th if other
groups are also involved. The more we can activate others to increase
awareness and educate people about the Declaration and human rights
in general the better. Here are a few general ideas of potential partners
who could be motivated to become active participants in actions to mark
the Anniversary.
- Encourage municipalities to become involved in
raising awareness of human rights. As they often issue proclamations,
approach them about declaring special human rights related days and
planning a day of speakers and activities. Encourage them to engage
in cooperative human rights programmes through their affiliated organizations
like the Canadian Federation of Municipalities. Communities could
be encouraged to develop approaches to commemorate various aspects
of the Declaration, perhaps using significant local and national dates
(Women, Aboriginal, labour). These are issues that go far beyond December
10 and there are all kinds of appropriate dates during the year that
can be used as "hooks" - if one doesn’t suit or fit
into an agenda, another may!
- Look for ways to work within a coalition of organizations
with the common objective of raising awareness of the Declaration,
with specific events and/or responsibilities allocated, and with the
events publicized as much as possible. A list of suggested activities
could be created by and distributed to this coalition.
- Make the link to other current UN Decades and
foster connections to others involved in those issues. Two obvious
options would be the International Decade for the Eradication of Poverty
and the International Decade for the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
It would also be appropriate to look beyond the anniversary to the
continuing challenges by making links to the theme for 1999 - International
Year of Older Persons.
- The Universal Declaration was the launching pad
for a remarkable evolution in the drafting and adoption of significant
legal instruments - the Declarations and Conventions that more and more
are the norms against which nations are held accountable in terms of
how they address and protect the human rights of all individuals. Look
for opportunities to engage the legal profession in your community in
discussions of this extraordinary development.
4.
Education
Educating
about and promoting an understanding of human rights is perhaps the best
way to secure those rights. Therefore educating people, particularly youth,
about human rights is an extremely important goal of the 50th Anniversary
of the Declaration. The following are a few suggestions on activities
to help educate people, particularly young people, about human rights.
- Actively engage groups which organize Model United
Nations and encourage them to add a human rights dimension to their
work, perhaps setting aside a day for Human Rights Commission activities.
- Reach young children through creative school and
extra-curricular activities. Perhaps a poster contest, with kids creating
posters on each article, to be processed and judged by their peers.
Or an essay competition. Or a debate. It might well be possible to
find a local business to sponsor prizes for such competitions (and
garner appropriate publicity for their support).
- Encourage service clubs to undertake Human Rights
education activities focused on youth. Or perhaps seniors.
- Encourage the organization of teacher-training
programmes (both preparatory/Teachers’ College and in-service/Professional
Development days) to help prepare teachers to present human rights
education material in classes.
- Reproduce the Declaration in numerous formats (book
marks, brochures, cereal boxes, milk cartons) and distribute them in
order to raise awareness and understanding of the Declaration (another
opportunity to enlist some corporate support).
5. Media
The media is a vital channel through which to
reach the general public with messages of the commemoration. As such,
it is vital that there is close cooperation between the media and your
group, and that the media (in as many forms as possible, and in as large
numbers as possible) is present to publicize your events. The media can
support your work in many ways.
- Ask available media to do a story or stories on
local human rights issues to commemorate the anniversary.
- Neighbourhood or community papers often focus
on local personalities - encourage them/help them to identify individuals
who have made a difference on human rights issues. This is a neighbourhood
issue as much as it is a national headlines concern.
- the same would apply with local radio and cable
TV stations.
How To Make It Happen
Once you have identified some realistic areas
for action the trick is to make it happen! There are the usual concerns
about human and financial resources. On the other hand this is an issue
that has - or should have - broad community interest and many potential
collaborative possibilities. Let us suggest a few things you may wish
to think about as you lay plans for the year(s).
- Every Provincial Government indicated support
for some kind of anniversary activity. Indeed the Premiers included
a commitment to include the anniversary in provincial planning in
the text that was issued at the conclusion of the annual Premier’s
Conference in 1996. Hold them to that promise! There should be at
least some resources that can be made available to support NGO activities.
- Consider ways to involve local business in the
year. Even small companies can be sponsors for community events, if
they receive appropriate recognition.
- Consider how to exploit the fact we are in the
middle of the Decade for Human Rights Education (with UNESCO as the
lead UN Agency).
- Think about how the role of Canadian John Peters
Humphrey, who wrote the initial draft of the Declaration and headed
the UN’s Human Rights division for several years, can be used
to increase interest and awareness of the Declaration. How can his
great, but little known, achievements be brought to public attention?
It is probable that there will be a commemorative stamp issued by
Canada Post - would the local Post Office sponsor some related event
(or be a venue in which to mount a display of relevant local art work)?
- Address the issue about the connection between
active citizenship and human rights. Challenge people to develop the
meaning of an active citizenship as the flip side of guaranteed rights
(rights carry corresponding responsibilities).
* * * * *
These ideas are just to whet the appetite and kick-start
your own imagination. As you develop your own local initiatives remember
to share the information among the broader community. UNA-Canada is planning
to develop and publicize an evolving calendar of events - as a way to
foster interest and collaborations and to help build a ground-swell of
support for the lofty ideals that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
sets out as standards for all people who share this globe.
Send information on your events or suggestions to:
United Nations Association in Canada
900-130 Slater Street
Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2
fax: (613) 563-2455
e-mail: info@unac.org
