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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70 [Cancelled]

31 Oct, 2018 | Events, Latest

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*** EVENT CANCELLED ***

René Cassin and JW3 regret that, due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to cancel this event. We profoundly apologise to our speaker, Professor Francesca Klug OBE, and to all those who have already bought tickets for the event. The venue, JW3 will, of course, fully refund everyone affected.

We do hope to hold a similar event with Francesca in early spring 2019 looking at the legacy of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights for today’s world and our Jewish contribution to it.

with Professor Francesca Klug OBE, London School of Economics

Wednesday 12 December 2018, 7.30pm

JW3, 341-351 Finchley Road, London NW3 6ET

A René Cassin event, in partnership with JW3

Tickets £12/£15 – for more information and to book your place, visit the JW3 website

This December we mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a time for celebration, but also for remembrance.

Celebration, because the UDHR was the first expression of a global consensus that the rights of every human being were paramount and must be respected. But remembrance, too, because the UDHR was a response to the horrors of the Holocaust (the Declaration’s preamble states “... disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind.“)

Francesca Klug is a leading authority on the history, politics and practice of human rights. As part of our programme of events to mark this significant anniversary, Francesca gives an expert analysis of the UDHR and its legacy with a view to answering the question: “In a world marked by increasing volatility, inequality and nationalism, has the Declaration fulfilled its promise as the dawn of a new era?”

Read more about Rene Cassin and the UDHR

Today, 10th December, is International Human Rights Day – the 76th anniversary of the signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. 

 

 

The Declaration was a reaction to the horrors of the Holocaust. So, for Jews, today has a particuar significance. 

Although rooted in response to atrocity, the Declaration was forward-looking and optimistic. It spoke for the majority of people who knew a better world was possible. The fact that it’s co-author , the French-Jewish lawyer Monsieur Rene Cassin, could draft such a hopeful document so soon after 26 members of his family were murdered by the Nazis is a testament to his humanity and the power of human rights in general. 

Today, as the organisation that works in Cassin’s name, we are determined to ensure his Declaration’s vision of human rights for all is fully realised. Central to that work is a focus on so called ‘socio-economic rights’ – rights to everyday essentials like food, housing and health. This vision was best articulated in Article 25 of the Declaration: 

‘Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control’.

Bolstering these rights would ensure everybody has access to the foundations on which to build a dignified, prosperous and meaningful life. They have been neglected for too long.

 

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