Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya
The Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya (IHRC) carries out three parallel. yet independent, lines of work; the promotion, consultation, and teaching of human rights.
In each of these areas special attention is given to relations with other institutions, network participation and study and research activities.
In the area of promotion, activities of different types are carried out on diverse themes (forgotten conflicts, rights in the city, emerging rights, human rights in the street…) but with a common objective; to spread the culture of human rights in our society in order to make effective the respect, enjoyment and guarantee of fundamental rights.
With respect to its consultancy work, the IHRC offers technical and scientific support to public institutions in the development and implementation of, for example, the European Charter for the Safeguarding of Human Rights in the City. The Institute also gives its support to specific projects linked to the strengthening of the culture of human rights in civil society.
As part of its work teaching human rights, the IHRC organises courses, specialist seminars, short courses for specific groups, studies and research work, analysis and evaluation projects, and conferences at the local as well as the international level.
THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF EMERGING HUMAN RIGHTS
The Universal Declaration of Emerging Human Rights (UDEHR) is a programmatic instrument of international civil society aimed at state actors and other institutional forums for the crystallisation of human rights in the new millennium.
The UDEHR arose from a discussion process which had its roots in a dialogue organised by the IHRC as part of the Universal Forum of Cultures Barcelona 2004, entitled “Human Rights, Emerging Necessities and New Compromises”.
The Declaration’s point of departure is the idea that civil society plays a fundamental role in facing the social, political and technological challenges that contemporary global society presents. For this reason it is provided with the UDEHR, an additional instrument to facilitate the knowledge of, and the debate surrounding, human rights.
The UDEHR is not intended to substitute or question existing national and international instruments of the protection of human rights. It does not attempt to deny nor disqualify the general validity of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Rather, it attempts to update and complement it from a new perspective, that of participatory citizenship.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Origins: The Barcelona Forum 2004
From Barcelona to Monterrey: From the Charter to the Universal Declaration of Emerging Human Rights
STRUCTURE
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights consists of two distinct parts.
1º General Framework: Values and principles
In the first part the general framework is outlined, explaining the need for the Declaration. An enumeration of the values and principles upon which it is based is also included.
One of the starting principles of the Declaration is that values are not static – different periods in time have different nuances – for this reason it is vital to enumerate and define these values. They are
- dignity,
- life,
- equality,
- solidarity,
- coexistence,
- peace,
- liberty and
- knowledge.
The principles upon which the Declaration is based are also enumerated; they must be understood from a transverse perspective. These principles are
- the principle of human security,
- the principle of non-discrimination,
- the principle of social inclusion,
- the principle of coherence,
- the principle of horizontality,
- the principle of interdependence and multiculturality,
- the principle of political participation,
- the principle of gender,
- the principle of demandability, and
- the principle of common responsibility.
2º Catalogue of rights
The second part of the UDEHR is made up of a catalogue of more than forty emerging human rights, divided into six groups, all with the common theme of democracy.
In these early years of the 21st century there is a clear need to consider our democratic systems in depth with the intention of improving their quality and guaranteeing their precepts. For this reason the second part of the UDEHR is structured by means of the following titles, which illustrate six characteristics that a democratic system must have:
- The right to egalitarian democracy;
- The right to pluralistic democracy;
- The right to paritary democracy;
- The right to participatory democracy;
- The right to solidarity in democracy;
- The right to guarantees in democracy.
visit IDHC website: http://www.idhc.org/
