THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT’S HUMAN RIGHTS WEEK19 - 22 November 2018

Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights

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A children’s choir, Jeunesses Musicales, from a school in Brussels, opened the European

Parliament conference that celebrated the 70th anniversary of the UDHR.

Early draft version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1947 – 1948.

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Dear friends,

In November 2018, the European Parliament hosted its first-ever Human Rights Week.

I have rarely seen our hemicycle so filled with such a mix of people. Parliamentarians and human rights defenders, eminent guests and anonymous citizens, artists and civil servants, representatives of NGOs and regional organisations – all filled the seats of our assembly, spilling over into galleries and exterior rooms.

The conference drawing such a crowd was one of many events scheduled during four intensive days, timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Our programme celebrated the milestones achieved since the Declaration was adopted, while also considering the new challenges facing us today.

Reviewing the 30 short articles that compose the Declaration, I – like many participants – was struck by their timeliness. Most have hardly aged since Eleanor Roosevelt and her diverse drafting committee shaped the text. Unfortunately, this also means that the Declaration is as necessary today as it was in 1948. The Declaration has endured, but so have the obstacles: inequality, impunity and injustice.

Faced with this reality, the European Parliament has taken the lead in celebrating people and organisations who defend basic rights across the globe.

Through our regular resolutions on the topic, through our Sakharov Prize for the Freedom of Thought, through our efforts to integrate human rights into the everyday business of the European Union, we do our utmost to support the cause and, most importantly, those who

Antonio TajaniPresident of the European Parliament

fight for human rights in the field.Our Human Rights Week gave us another opportunity to focus on those champions. Despite considerable hurdles, they stand up for the rights of all people, speak out against the shrinking space of civil society, and offer vital financial or political support. Their efforts serve as examples for us all.

With this booklet, I want to thank those of you who contributed to our event, and to offer those of you who could not be there a physical token of our communal commitment.

We saw last November how many people are still moved by the struggle for universal human rights. I hope we can keep that spirit for at least another 70 years.

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With the end of the Second World War and the creation of the United Nations, world leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere. This document would become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

DE AHORA EN ADELANTE TODOS LOS SERES HUMANOS SABRÁN QUE EL PATRIMONIO

DE SUS DERECHOS HUMANOS TIENE SIGNIFICADOS ESPECÍFICOS Y DEFINIDOSHernan Santa Cruz

THE AUTHORS OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATIONOF HUMAN RIGHTS

The first draft was taken up at the first session of the UN General Assembly in 1946 and then transmitted to the Commission on Human Rights.

WHILE HISTORY ALONE CAN DETERMINE THE HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE

OF AN EVENT, IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT THE DECLARATION BEFORE US MAY BE DESTINED TO OCCUPY AN HONORABLE PLACE IN THE PROCESSION OF POSITIVE LANDMARKS IN HUMAN HISTORY Charles Habib Malik

NOTRE DÉCLARATION SE PRÉSENTE COMME LA PLUS VIGOUREUSE,

LA PLUS NÉCESSAIRE DES PROTESTATIONS DE L’HUMANITÉ CONTRE LES ATROCITÉS ET LES OPPRESSIONS DONT TANT DE MILLIONS D’ETRES HUMAINS ONT ÉTÉ VICTIMES A TRAVERS LES SIECLESRené Cassin

Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, chaired the drafting committee. The Declaration, consisting of a preamble and 30 articles setting forth fundamental rights and freedoms, was not created without struggle. It took patience and poise of a remarkable group of visionaries, men and women, from various cultural, religious, and professional backgrounds led by Ms Roosevelt, to fight for the human rights

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enshrined in this document.With the exception of Ms Roosevelt most of her fellow drafters are now little remembered. Yet the committee included the most gifted public figures of their time.

Carlos Romulo from the Philippines who made sure that discrimination has no racial justification, Hansa Mehta, from India, who insisted that equal rights between men and women be mentioned explicitly, thereby making Article 1 more inclusive, Hernan Santa Cruz, from Chile who helped ensure that social and economic rights would be as important in the Declaration as political and civil rights, René Cassin, from France, who managed to formulate a simple enumeration of rights into a structured document, thus ensuring the strength of the indivisible and inalienable principles, P.C. Chang, from China, a master in the art of compromise who prevented the committee from reaching an impasse,

Alexi Pavlov, from USSR, who helped draft the sections on political and civic rights, including the right to vote, Charles Habib Malik, from Lebanon, a philosopher and a master diplomat, who orchestrated the adoption of the Declaration with patience and wisdom. Even during the cold war, in an atmosphere of tension and distrust, the 58 Members of the UN General Assembly voted unanimously to adopt the Declaration.

WHERE, AFTER ALL, DO UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS BEGIN? IN SMALL PLACES, CLOSE TO

HOME - SO CLOSE AND SO SMALL THAT THEY CANNOT BE SEEN ON ANY MAPS OF THE WORLD Eleanor Roosevelt

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948.

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The highlight of the European Parliament’s Human Rights Week 2018 was a high-level conference held in the afternoon of the 20 November to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Opening remarks were made by European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, and by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres via video message.

SOME AROUND THE WORLD AREARGUING THAT HUMAN RIGHTSARE OUTDATED, THAT NATIONAL

CELEBRATING THE70TH ANNIVERSARYOF THE UDHR

INTERESTS CAN JUSTIFY THESUPPRESSION OF INDIVIDUALAND COLLECTIVE RIGHTS, THATNATIONAL SECURITY REQUIRES THESUSPENSION OF CERTAIN RIGHTS.I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE ALL HERE TODAY TO AFFIRM THE OPPOSITEFederica MogheriniVice-President of the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Leading international experts on human rights, including UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, and EU

Special Representative for Human Rights Stavros Lambrinidis, participated in high-level panel discussions.

THE DECLARATION’SRECOGNITION OF SPECIFIC ANDUNIVERSAL RIGHTS HAS DRIVENVAST IMPRVOVEMENT OF HUMANWELL-BEING IN THE PAST 70 YEARS.IN HEALTH, EDUCATION, PEACE,MORE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTAND LESSER MARGINALISATIONAND ABUSE OF MINORITIESMichelle BacheletUnited Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

International organisations represented included the Council of Europe, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, the Organization for Security and Cooperation, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, and

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the Open Society Foundations.Two panels addressed the issues of universality and indivisibility in today’s global and digital world, and synergies in strengthening the global human rights architecture and mechanisms.

HOW OFTEN HAVE I HEARD IN MY VISITS: WHY ARE YOU COMING HERE TO RAISE HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES? WHY DO YOU WANT TO ADDRESS THESE UNPLEASANT ISSUES? MY ANSWER TO THAT IS VERY OFTEN: EUROPE CAME OUT OF THE BLOODIEST WAR IN THE WORLD AND 70 YEARS LATER, BECAUSE OF OUR DEEP AND FIRM COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS, WE ARE THE MOST PEACEFUL AND PROSPEROUS PART OF THE WORLD HERE IN THE EUStavros LambrinidisEU Special Representative on Human Rights.

The high-level conference took place in the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels. Some 800 participants were inspired by stories and testimonials by human rights defenders from across the globe, projected on large film screens.

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE IS A GLOBAL PROJECT AND ITS BENEFICIARIES ARE HUMANITY AS A WHOLE. WE ALL SHARE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ADVANCE AND STRENGTHEN ITS GOALS. AS INTERNATIONAL CRIMES ADAPT TO A GLOBALISED AND DIGITALISED WORLD, SO TOO, MUST WEFatou BensoudaProsecutor of the International Criminal Court.

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MEPs, visiting members of national parliaments, and guests from around the world filled the plenary.

A representative from ‘the Europe Kids Want’, a joint initiative

by UNICEF and Eurochild, asks the panel members how we

can defend the universality of human rights.

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UNHC Michelle Bachelet, EP President Antonio Tajani, and VP/HR Federica Mogherini. 800 participants attended the event.

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International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda addressed the issue of reinforcing

international accountability and the fight against impunity.

EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Stavros Lambrinidis addressed EU’s role in

defending the universality of human rights.

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Throughout the Human Rights Week in November 2018 various European Parliament committees addressed some of the current challenges from a human rights perspective. Leading human right experts were invited to speak at the committees’ hearings and exchanges of views. Issues such as gender-based violence, the right to health, investing in food security, safeguarding children’s rights, access to education and culture, and rule based international trade, were among the topics that were discussed.

The subcommittee on human rights hosted an inter-parliamentary committee meeting that brought together Members of the European Parliament and Members of national

WHY DO HUMAN RIGHTS MATTER?

THERE IS SIMPLY NO OTHER WAY TO ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS THAN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE, WITH A FOCUS ON HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION. ACHIEVING THAT VISION WILL REQUIRE UNRELENTING POLITICAL COMMITMENT FROM COUNTRIESTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Director-General, World Health Organisation (WHO).Exchange of views on The right to health, 20 November 2018.

parliaments in EU Member States. Topics included mainstreaming human rights from the EU’s external actions,

business and human rights, and sustainable development and human rights. The keynote speech – on the close connection between sustainable development and human rights – was delivered by contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei.

ECONOMIC SECURITY, THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION AND THE RIGHT TO FREE ASSOCIATION AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION CREATE A PARTICULAR WAY OF THINKING THAT SAFEGUARDS THE POSSIBILITY OF EXPRESSING ONESELF. IF WE ABANDON EFFORTS TO UPHOLD HUMAN DIGNITY, WE FORFEIT THE FUNDAMENTAL MEANING OF WHAT IT IS TO BE HUMAN.Ai WeiweiActivist and Artist.Keynote speech Inter-Parliamentary Committee Meeting, 20 November 2018.

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Hearing on Trade-for-All: What are the benefits for our people? 19 November 2018. Exchange of views on Investing in food security for a future free of hunger, 19 November 2018.

IT IS NOT ONLY ABOUT ECONOMIC GROWTH, IT IS ALSO ABOUT OUR VALUES. SHINING A LIGHT ON EU STANDARDS IN OUR TRADE AGREEMENTS: LOOKING FOR FOOD SAFETY, LABOUR RIGHTS, ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDSCecilia MalmströmEU Commissioner for Trade.

WHY ARE WE NOW GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION WHEN SO MUCH PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE PAST 200 YEARS IN ADDRESSING POVERTY, HUNGER, FOOD SECURITY? OF COURSE, THE NUMBER ONE ANSWER IS: MANMADE CONFLICTSDavid Muldrow BeasleyExecutive Director, World Food Programme (WFP).

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Hearing on cross-border family disputes: safeguarding children’s rights, 19 November 2018. Inter-parliamentary committee meeting, 20 November 2018.

WHILST WE MUST CREATE POLICIES AND MECHANISMS TO DEAL WITH THE WRONGFUL REMOVAL OF CHILDREN, AT THE SAME TIME WE CANNOT CREATE POLICIES THAT ARE SUCH THAT THEY HINDER LAWFUL MOVEMENT OF FAMILIES AND THEIR CHILDRENAnne-Marie HutchinsonOBE QC (HON) Barrister and expert in Hague and Non-Hague child abduction cases.

THE PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IS THE COMMON THREAD THAT TIES TOGETHER SOCIAL JUSTICE, PEACE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TO CREATE A STRONGER SOCIETY FOR ALL. IT IS DURING THE MOST DIFFICULT TIMES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS THAT OUR COMMITMENT AND BELIEF IN THEIR UNIVERSAL APPLICATION BECOME EVEN MORE CRUCIALPier Antonio PanzeriChair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights.

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The European Parliament organised an exhibition with illustrations of each of the Declaration’s 30 articles as presented by the universal character Elyx. Elyx, the UN’s first digital ambassador, has no race, sex, nationality or audible voice and can be understood by all everywhere. The exhibition was inaugurated on 20 November by European Parliament Vice-President Heidi Hautala in the presence of French artist Yacine Ait Kaci, the creator of Elyx.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE IN RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS

An exhibition hosted by the European Parliament with

illustrations of each of the Declaration’s 30 articles.

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During the Human Rights Week the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) of Brussels and the European Parliament also invited the public to an art exhibition and a debate on the best way for artists to contribute to the promotion of human

rights and serve as a bridge between different cultures. And on 20 November the concert “Che il Mediterraneo sia – Let the Mediterranean be”, with Eugenio Bennato, musician and human rights activist, accompanied by Mohammed

Ezzaime El Alaoui, Stefano Simonetta and Sonia Totaro, was followed by a debate with musicians and human rights activists on the topic of Culture as a vehicle for the promotion of human rights.

Eugenio Bennato, Mohammed Ezzaime El Alaoui,

and Stefano Simonetta perform

during the concert Che il Mediterraneo sia

– Let the Mediterranean Be.

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Throughout the Human Rights Week, MEPs and visitors alike took the opportunity to engage with human rights exhibitors, including organisations and academic institutions protecting and training the human rights

ADRESSING HUMAN RIGHTS WITH HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

leaders of tomorrow. The Brussels offices of the United Nations and the United Nations Development Programme, Amnesty International, Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort (ECPM), the European Network of National Human

Rights Institutions (ENNHRI), and Protect Defenders (the EU’s Human Rights Defenders mechanism) were all present with interactive exhibitions stands, as was the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC), to raise awareness of the central role of human rights in everyday life and show how they empower us all.

Each and every one of us can make a difference. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the UDHR, the United Nations called on everyone – individuals as well as governments, companies, and civil society – to take the pledge for human rights.

I will respect your rights regardless of who you are.I will uphold your rights even when I disagree with you.

When anyone’s human rights are denied, everyone’s rights are undermined, so I will STAND UP.

I will raise my voice. I will take action.I will use my rights to stand up for your rights.

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Alumni from the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation

welcomed people to their stand to discuss human rights with them.

Visitors could express what human rights mean to them on a mural that the Brussels UN /

UNDP Office had brought to their exhibition stand.

The BOZAR children’s choir opened the high-level

conference with a performance.

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Programm

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Programme HUMAN RIGHTS WEEK AT A GLANCE

Monday 19 Tuesday 20 Wednesday 21 Thursday 22

Committee on Development

(DEVE)

15:35-16:30PHS 4B001

Investing in Food Security for a Future Free of Hunger with the Executive Director of the World Food Programme

Subcommittee on Human Rights

(DROI)

16:30-17:45JAN 6Q2

Exchange of views on sports and human rights in the context of large sporting events

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs

(LIBE)

8:30-12:30JAN 2 Q2

Exchange of views with the Director of the Fundamental Rights Agency at the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the UDHR

Subcommittee on Human Rights

(DROI)

9:00-12:30JAN 6Q2

Inter-parliamentary Committee Meeting

“Human rights and the external actions of the EU and Member States”

Delegation for relations with the countries of the Andean Community

(DAND)

8:30-10:00Protocol Room III, PHS

Working Breakfast with Joel Hernandez Garcia Commissioner of (IACHR) – by invitation

Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality

(FEMM)

11:00-12:30JAN 4Q1

Hearing: Children victims or witnesses of gender-based violence within families

Delegation to the EURONEST parliamentary Assembly

8:00-9:30Working conditions of human rights defenders in the Eastern Partnership countries – by invitation

Committee on Fisheries (PECH)

9:00-12:30 Forced labour on IUU files of Thailand and Vietnam – In camera

Committee on Legal Affairs

(JURI)

15:30-17:30ASP 3E2

Hearing on Cross-border family disputes: safeguarding children’s rights

Committee on International Trade

(INTA)

16:00-18:30check screens

“Trade-for-All: What are the benefits for our people?”

Delegation for relations with the People’s Republic of China (D-CN)

12:30-13:00Protocol Salon III (PHS 2/F)

Meeting with artist and activist Ai WEIWEI – by invitation

Committee on Petitions (PETI)

15:30-17:00ASP A1G-3

Exchange of views on the criminalisation of humanitarian assistance at sea and the reception and living conditions of refugees and migrants in the Greek islands

Committee on Agricultural and Rural Development

(AGRI)

16:30-17:30PHS 1A002

Exchange of views on the “UN Declaration on Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas” and global challenges affecting human rights in agriculture

Delegation for the relations with the Maghreb countries (DMAG)and Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group (DEG)

14:15-17:00ASP 1E2

Individual freedoms and gender equality in Morocco and Tunisia - a look at current social debates

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

(EMPL)

16:00-17:00PHS 1 A 002

Combating child poverty: an issue of fundamental rights

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Safety

(ENVI)

17:00-18:00JAN 4Q2

Exchange of views on the Right to Health with WHO Director-General

Delegation for relations with Iran

(D-IR)

14:30-16:00Meeting of the Delegation for the Relations with Iran with the Iranian League for Human Rights

Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (DACP)

16:00-17:00Check Screens

The situation of human rights in the RDC in the context of presidential pre-election

The Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) and the European Parliament present:

18:30-20:00 Can artists help address threats to these freedoms or solve social challenges?

High level conference14:30-18:30

on the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Concert and Debate

Yehudi MENUHIN PHS Ground Floor

Debate and concert: Culture as a vehicle for the promotion of human rights with musicians and human rights activists

The 30 articles of the UDHR Exhibition ASP 3rd floor – Inauguration by Vice-President Heidi Hautala, 20 November 19:00

Hemicycle

PHS 5B001

ASP ground floor

Check screens

Programme – EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HUMAN RIGHTS WEEK 2018 AT A GLANCE

Participating institutions:

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© European Union, 2019

Photo credits:

European Parliament (pages 1, 3 & 7 - 13)

UN Photo (pages 2, 4, 5 & 20)

UN / UNPD Brussels Office (pages 14 & 17)

Private (pages 15 & 17)

L014714 | Conception & Design: IDEA Unit | Print: Printing Unit | DG ITEC, EDIT Directorate | © European Union, 2019 - EP

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Back cover photo: Children of UN staff members in New York take a closer look at the UDHR, December 1950