The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, written in 1948, is the first international recognition that all human beings have fundamental rights and freedoms.
“December 10 marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a small document of 30 articles that has probably had more impact on humanity than any other document in modern history,” said Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2008.
The question of making peace a human right has been discussed since at least 1945. It was rejected by the European Union in 1995 on the grounds that peace was not a precondition for human rights.
More recently, a round table on the human right to peace was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on March 15, 2007, with eloquent speakers.
In 2009, this debate was on the agenda in Geneva, as a new constitution was being drafted. A group of 8 associations* working for peace, human rights and/or non-violence drew up a proposal(Proposition n° 10) that includes peace as a human right.
* APCNV (Michel Monod), APRED (Christophe Barbey), BIP/IBP (Colin Archer), EIP (Monique Prindezis), CODAP-Centre de conseils et d’appuis pour les jeunes en matière de droits de l’homme (David Mattey-Doret), Femmes pour la Paix Genève (Heidi Maugué), Graines de Paix (Delia Mamon), GSsA (Frédéric Durand) and Groupe Quaker de Genève (Bridget Dommen).