Event information

5 December 2018, 09:30-19:45

Downloads

Flyer >

The UDHR at Seventy: Historical and Juridical Perspectives

Event

A frame of the UN film on the UDHR A frame of the UN film on the UDHR
IHEID2013    SNF RGB E POS copy    70 Years UDHR LOGO E 01

The 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) comes at a time of great turbulence for international human rights law.

The universality of human rights has traditionally been contested as a product of the West, unable to take into account cultural and religious diversity. More recently, the relevance of certain rights previously considered as essential and inalienable in vast areas of the world has become an issue. These older and more recent challenges grow alongside visions of a world order based upon the law of force rather than the force of the law. Historian Eric Weitz, referring to the work of Samuel Moyn, qualified human rights as ‘the last ideology left standing’. This last ideology is now wavering. For this reason, it is timely and appropriate to look carefully at the origins, context, debates, and personalities that, in 1947 and 1948, shaped and eventually endorsed the UDHR.

This symposium, co-organized with the Department of International History of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies  and with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Republic and State of Geneva, brings together jurists and historians to discuss these issues and topics.

Presentations will provide insights based on recent and ongoing research, with historians and jurists debating and confronting their critical approaches and views.

The conference is open to anyone wishing to know more about the state of knowledge on the UDHR.

It will be followed, in the evening, by a public lecture by Philippe Sands.

Registration

You need to register to attend this event by filling the form on the website of the Graduate Institute.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

neurotechnology graphics News

New Research Brief Discusses Current Legal and Ethical Concerns Around Neurotechnology

28 May 2024

Our latest Research Brief Between Science-Fact and Science-Fiction: Innovation and Ethics in Neurotechnology highlights the need for a robust regulatory framework around neurotechnology that can simultaneously foster innovation and protect human rights.

Read more

News

New Series of 'In and Around War(s) Podcast Coming Soon

17 April 2024

Our podcast In and Around War(s) returns for a third season.

Read more

Digital Justice Event

Digital Bridges to Justice: Enhancing Human Rights and SDG Monitoring through Innovative Technologies

3 July 2024, 13:15-14:30

This panel discussion will showcase the transformative potential of digital technologies in monitoring and implementing SDG 16, its interlinkages with other SDGs, and UN human rights recommendations.

Read more

A protest in Peru Event

The Quest for Accountability for the Violations of Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association in Peru: Challenges and Perspectives

1 July 2024, 16:00-18:00

This side event to the 56th session of the Human Rights Council will address the current and main challenges ahead in the protection of the rights of the Peruvian people for freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.

Read more

Open dump Training

Protecting Human Rights and the Environment

2-20 September 2024

Participants in this training course, made of two modules, will examine the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights and the environment, familiarizing themselves with the respective implementation and enforcement mechanisms.

Read more

View of a session of the UN Human Rights Committee Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

8-12 July 2024

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

Read more

surveillance image of people Project

Human Rights in a Digitalized World: Mapping Risk, Strengthening Regulation and Promoting the Development of International Human Rights Law

Started in August 2023

To unpack the challenges raised by artificial intelligence, this project will target two emerging and under-researched areas: digital military technologies and neurotechnology.

Read more

George Floyd protest in Washington D.C. Project

Promoting and Protecting the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association and Civic Space Worldwide

Started in June 2020

This project aims at providing support to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Clément Voulé by addressing emerging issues affecting civic space and eveloping tools and materials allowing various stakeholders to promote and defend civic space.

Read more

Cover Page of Research Brief Publication

Between Science-Fact and Science-Fiction Innovation and Ethics in Neurotechnology

published on May 2024

Milena Costas, Timo Istace

Read more