"...PROMISES TO KEEP..."

The UDHR proclaimed at the United Nations on December 10, 1948, is an event that has significantly influenced the unfolding of world events in the almost half century it has been in effect. Its unanimous adoption by the General Assembly was a remarkable achievement. It, at once, transcended the disparate political ideologies of the day while drawing upon the universal principles inherent in diverse religious and cultural traditions. The Universal Declaration, along with the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, comprise the International Bill of Human Rights.

For nearly fifty years the Declaration has been a vibrant, moral conscience to the world community. It provides international norms and standards to which the international community is expected to adhere and by which to condemn the actions of nation-states that suppress the rights of their own citizens. The Declaration has survived those who have deliberately attempted to undermine it. Instead the Declaration has inspired numerous international human rights conventions and declarations, from the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Declaration on the Right to Development. It has also enkindled the creation of national human rights legislation and institutions, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and federal, provincial and territorial codes and institutions.

The values we share - respect for the rule of law and the dignity of the person, fairness and equitable treatment, tolerance and the acceptance of diversity and the fundamental principle of democratic participation - are inherent both in our laws and in the Universal Declaration. This is hardly surprising to us, since many Canadians through their thoughts and actions have given pragmatic meaning to human rights. Some of these Canadians have enjoyed high visibility, others are very much "in the wings": we think, for example, of the leadership of Therese Casgrain and the courage of Terry Fox. Canadians who have made specific contributions in the human rights arena through their vision and commitment include Wilson Head, Kalmen Kaplansky, Renate Shearer and Walter Tarnopolsky. Then, of course, there is John Peters Humphrey, a lawyer from McGill University and the first director of the UN Human Rights Centre, who prepared the first draft of the Universal Declaration. He went on to make substantial contributions to the development of international human rights norms and practices in the United Nations. Although Canadians are not "self-aggrandizing" by nature, 1998 may very well be the year for Canadians in all communities to reveal and regale their "local (rights) heroes" and to share some of their experiences with other Canadians, and the world.

In terms of the Declaration document, relatively few Canadians may be familiar with its existence, possibly viewing it as a distant and esoteric statement replete with fine sounding principles and noble aspirations. The challenge in conducting these consultations for the 50th Anniversary of the UDHR has been to determine if there is both the political will and sustainable interest in commemorating the anniversary of the Declaration. Many of those consulted have described what kind of activities would best inform and involve people in concrete programmes of action to demonstrate the practical application of the Universal Declaration in our everyday lives.

In January of this year, UNA Canada undertook to consult Canadians across the country and at many levels on the question of 1998 - whether to mark it as the Anniversary Year of UDHR, and if yes, how ? The report that follows is a synthesis of what was heard from Canadians, and a selection of direct quotations are presented in an attempt to render the tenor and intensity of people's reactions.