Realizing Rights: Fulfilling Humanity's Promise to Itself

Abstract

Rights. It presents an opportunity to reassert the central importance of international human rights standards in achieving a more just and sustainable future. Recent trends in realizing the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have not been positive. Due in significant part to national and global responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, human rights in this decade have been marginalized and in some cases undermined. But further deterioration can be halted and progress resumed, first by reclaiming and then reinvigorating the message of human rights. I can think of no better way of doing so than by reaffirming the Universal Declaration’s vision of rights and responsibilities as a “common standard of achievement” for all peoples and all nations.