Abu Dhabi [UAE], February 26: The UAE's Permanent Committee for Human Rights (PCHR), in collaboration with the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) with the conceptual input of the British Institute for International and Comparative Law organised a public event on the past, present and future of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The event, held on 25 January at AGDA, was the first of six events to take place between February and June 2025. This series builds on the successful conclusion of the first round of seven discussions organised in 2024, which saw over 700 attendees from various fields and more than 20 speakers including academics, policymakers and civil society and rights advocates.
During today's fireside chat, speakers explored the unique history and status of the UDHR, a document drafted and adopted in 1948, after two World Wars. They tackled question around how the drafters balanced universal principles with respect for cultural and ideological diversity. The discussion touched on the universality of the UDHR, where the human rights system stands today and whether it has remained faithful to the aspirations and intentions of what human rights aspired for back then.
The speakers explained how the document was drafted by an international committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, with input from prominent figures from across the globe, such as Charles Malik of Lebanon, who emphasised philosophical foundations; Peng Chun Chang of China, who advocated for cultural diversity; and John Humphrey, who compiled the initial framework from the constitutions of UN member states and other sources. The open discussion that followed tackled questions related to the document's core ideas, the principles and especially the importance of the diversity of people behind it.
Ambassador Dr. Ibrahim Salama, one of the renowned speakers and the former director of the Human Rights Treaty Body Branch of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), touched upon how past considerations shed light on contemporary challenges facing a highly complex human rights architecture that requires enhanced coherence through breaking silos.
A key point of discussion was dispelling the notion of the UDHR being a normative structure that privileges Western concepts. Dr Victory Stewart-Jolly, Senior Researcher at AGDA emphasised that most of the important contributions integrated into the UDHR came from prominent figures of the global south: "Most of the iconic articles, the obvious disavowal of the use of gendered pronouns throughout the texts, or the freedoms of conscience thought and religion were championed, not by French or American jurists, but by Indian, Lebanese, Iraqi, Chinese and Dominican. The diversity, engagement and commitment by Global South jurists defined and defended human rights, often in the face of opposition from their European and American counterparts, but their contribution and stories have been largely lost or ignored in the literature."
While Dr. Kelechi Akubueze, Senior Technical Advisor to the Executive Secretary of the Human Rights Committee of Nigeria, shared an equally important perspective, highlighting the missing voice of Africa at the time and how the continent views the UDHR today "although African perspectives were largely under-represented, many of the UDHR's principles, however, align with traditional African values such as Ubuntu, which emphasises human dignity and communal responsibility."
The PCHR is the official national coordination mechanism between relevant ministries and human rights bodies within the UAE and mandated to continue to advance human rights in line with internationally recognised standards. The PCHR (formerly named the National Human Rights Committee) was established by the Council of Ministers in October 2019.
Source: Emirates News Agency
