Live ! 70 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Channel: French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Date: 2018-12-10

14 h 30 - Opening Remarks by M. François Croquette, Ambassador for Human Rights
 
14 h 40 - Mme Dunja Mijatovic, Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe

15 h 00 - The 1948 Declaration

Conversation between M. Philippe Sands, Franco-British legal expert, and Mme Sandrine Treiner, Director of France Culture

15 h 20 - Threats against human rights defenders

    M. Michel Forst, Special UN reporter on the situation of human rights defenders

    M. Karim Abdel Radi, lawyer of Mohamed Abou Zeid, "Shawkan", photojournalist (Egypt)

    M. Alexandre Tcherkassov, Memorial (Russia)

16 h 00 - Resisting by choosing exile

    M. Riad Türk, opposition and refugee (Syria)

    M. Rosmit Mantilla, former deputy of the opposition and LGBT refugee activist (Venezuela)

    M. Cai Chongguo, representative of the China Labour Bulletin (China)

16 h 40 - The protection of journalists

Conversation between Plantu, Cartooning for Peace, and M.Christophe Deloire, Reporters Without Borders

17h00 - Human rights violations during conflicts: Sexual violence as a weapon of war

    Mme Lamia Haji Bachar, 2016 Sakharov Prize (Iraq)

    Mme Julienne Lusenge, Solidarité féminine pour la paix et le développement intégral (Democratic Republic of Congo)

17 h 30 - M. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs

During this event, the "When is it the time for human rights?" cartoon exposition of the association Cartooning for Peace will be presented to the public for the first time.


Adopted in Paris on 10 December 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights created the foundation on which all the international mechanisms to defend human rights have been built. For France, this 70th anniversary is the opportunity to recall that human rights should be defended and strengthened everywhere in the world.

France is working tirelessly to defend the universality and primacy of human rights. Ensuring the respect of these rights is one of the founding principles of the French Republic and is at the core of its foreign policy. The priority for France is first to recreate a space in the law to protect human rights.

France will support the activities of the International Criminal Court in investigating crimes committed against the Rohingya – crimes that may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. France also encourages all States who have not yet done so to accede to the Rome Statute.

We also need to strengthen the space dedicated to human rights in all the areas of action of the United Nations. The Office of the High Commissioner and the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, which France has supported since their creation, are also essential in promoting and implementing these achievements.That is why France is putting forward a candidacy for a seat on the Human Rights Council for 2021-2023.

    We recall our commitment to the international system promoting human rights, to the power of the rule of law, and to the multilateral institutions. That is the best tribute we can pay to those who, seventy years ago, drafted a Universal Declaration amidst the ruins of a global conflict that had devastated Europe.

    As we meet here today, we solemnly state that the universalist achievements of 1948 are our heritage, a ‘common good’ for humankind that we are prepared to defend and determined to foster.

    Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, United Nations General Assembly, 26 September 2018