50th Anniversary of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 8.3.1998

On 10 December 1948, the United General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as "a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations."  This Declaration was the starting point for the development of modern international human rights law and procedures and the massive human rights movement of today.  The 50th anniversary of its adoption is, therefore, a time for celebration and 1998 has been proclaimed the Human Rights Year.  However, it is also a time for sober reflection and assessment of what has not been achieved, and an opportunity to pick up again the challenge of trying to put the Universal Declaration into practice in a world where many serious and large-scale violations of human rights still occur.