Reaffirming human rights and the vital role of civil society
UNA-UK sends team to UDHR60 conference in Paris
From 3-5 September, UNA-UK’s five-strong delegation joined over 2,000 NGO representatives at the 61st UN/NGO Annual Conference to celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This year, the conference was held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris – a departure from the traditional New York venue. The change of location was symbolic – the UDHR was signed in Paris in 1948 – but also practical as it enabled NGOs from over 90 countries to attend, including a record number of African and Asian representatives.
The relentless schedule of roundtables and workshops saw participants evaluating 60 years of the UDHR, with plenty of networking in between. All the speakers – including Stéphane Hessel, one of the original drafters of the UDHR – praised the enormous contribution of civil society to the advancement of human rights. NGO involvement with the UN dates back to 1945, when more than 40 civic and religious groups attended the San Francisco Conference. It was they who argued most fiercely in support of the reference to human rights in the UN Charter. But the continuing plight of people around the world was hammered home too, not least by Holocaust survivor Simone Veil. The essence of the conference can be summed up in this call to action issued by UN Under-Secretary-General for Public Information Kiyo Akasaka “the need for NGOs to bring their creativity, energy and passion to educating peoples about their human rights is as crucial today as it was 60 years ago”.
UNA-UK’s delegation certainly brought energy and passion to the conference! Read about their experiences below:
Rasha Albabaz (UNYSA member and UNDP Higher Education Project Analyst )
Why I wanted to go: My main incentive was to learn more about how organisations confront the challenge of harmonising the ideals of the UDHR with the practical barriers of politics and culture. This theme was repeated throughout the conference, but the surprising and optimistic message, championed by Ingrid Betancourt in the closing session, was that it is precisely this lack of legal or political imperative that gives the UDHR its strength. It is the power of its message that has ensured its enduring relevance 60 years on.
Kate Grady (UNA-UK Board of Directors and PhD candidate at Bristol University )
What inspired me the most: The workshop on Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security was especially inspiring due to the expertise of the two speakers: Sanam Anderlini (formerly of Women Waging Peace) and Joanna Weschler (Security Council Report). No other Security Council resolution has a constituency as global as 1325: it has been translated into 95 languages; used by countless women’s and peace groups to lobby their governments; and uniquely, has the anniversary of its passing celebrated every October. The workshop provided a useful opportunity to learn more about the way in which human rights defenders are using this and other resolutions to further the cause of women worldwide.
Suzanne Long (Chair, Women’s Advisory Council and UNA-UK Policy Advisory Committee)
Did it meet my expectations: I’m not sure what I was expecting but the conference certainly provedexhilarating and exhausting. Hearing a Nigerian NGO worker describing victims of cultural practices relating to marriage and widowhood was humbling, but we were also urged not to dismiss all traditions as negative. I was delighted to add my name to the one million signatures collected for UNIFEM’s ‘Say NO to violence against women’ campaign, one of UNA-UK's policy priorities in 2008-09.
Mohamed Tarraf (President of Leeds UNYSA)
How I plan to use the experience: When the opportunity arose to represent UNYSA at the conference, I jumped on it. I thought it would be an invaluable opportunity to learn firsthand the ways in which NGOs and the UN interact and produce solutions to meet present and upcoming challenges. The conference was a great opportunity to network with leading professionals. I intend to invite some of them to speak at Leeds UNYSA.
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