To mark the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this year’s Conference is entitled “Reaffirming Human Rights for All: The Universal Declaration at 60” and is being organised in partnership with the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, UNESCO, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Government of France.
The conference aims to highlight effective ways in which civil society, in partnership with other actors, can contribute to the advancement of human rights at the international, regional, national and local levels, generate greater awareness of human rights issues and strengthen commitments to address them among diverse stakeholders worldwide.
In addition to representatives of NGOs, civil society organisations, grassroots constituencies, the UN system and member states, representatives of the media, academia, the private sector and other institutions will also be present.
Importance for SOS-Kinderdorf International
SOS Children’s Villages’ work is based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child - one of the major Human Rights Conventions - which in turn is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
SOS-Kinderdorf International was a part of the “DPI/NGO Planning Committee”, which consists of NGOs and UN staff from the NGO section. This committee was responsible for planning both the content and logistics for the conference. SOS-Kinderdorf International also co-chaired the “Midday Workshop Sub-Committee” and in that capacity was instrumental in selecting the 40+ workshops that will be presented during those three days.
Furthermore, SOS-Kinderdorf International will be hosting one of these Midday Workshops, called "Young People as Agents of Change." The focus of this workshop will be on children and young people who are raised outside their families, with the objective of listening to what they have to say about their efforts to overcome the discrimination, marginalisation and social exclusion and to engage in a discussion on concrete ways to include young people in creating change.
It will feature a member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Maria Herczog, as well as young voices from Estonia and Norway.
The young people attending the conference and workshops will also have an opportunity to hear prominent human rights experts speak, and will be able to participate in the conversations fostered during breakout sessions and in workshops.
By being involved in this conference, SOS-Kinderdorf International would like to foster a deeper understanding of the human rights situation overall, make new contacts working in related and complementary areas, create an opportunity to showcase our efforts, as well as to listen to young people and include their views in our work.
More information can be found on:
http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/conference/home.shtml
http://www.undpi.org/