Introduction.

• Position: Hate, Genocide and Human Rights Fifty Years Later: What Have We Learned? What Must We Do ? - Transcript

It is indeed an honour to be present this evening at the opening session of this important conference. The number of brilliant minds from all over the world assembled here for these two days is a promise of an exciting dialogue. The exchange of ideas that will take place in this room can only bring forth exciting insights for all participants. The themes to be covered will provoke discussion and debate--both on our thinking about and out approach to human rights, and most importantly, on strategies for implementing their values in a troubled world.

Ce soir, nous nous pencherons sur la Declaration universelle des droits de l'homme (1) et la Convention pour la prevention et la repression du crime de genocide (2), cinquante ans apres leur passage. Cet anniversaire invite a la fois a la celebration et a une prise de conscience des defis auxquels nous devrons faire face. D'une part, nous celebrons l'espoir que suscite le droit international dans la domaine des droits de la personne et les promesses qu'il contient. Depuis decembre 1948, les pays du monde ont proclame a maintes reprises leur engagement a assurer que, ou qu'ils soient dans le monde, tous les humains aient des droits inalienables, ainsi que leur conviction que le respect de ces droits assurerait paix, justice, et liberte pour tous les membres de la collectivite mondiale.

One of this evening's distinguished guests, Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, has written that the Genocide Convention and the Universal Declaration

were both products of the Holocaust, and represented the triumph of hope over history. Both screamed "Never Again" in their birth announcements, and both demanded the chance to grow with dignity and respect. They were the wings of a Phoenix that rose from the ashes of Auschwitz, the symbols of regret of a world shamefully chastened ... Both are looked to as symbols that notwithstanding despairing evidence to the contrary, the international community remains dedicated to the aspiration of universal accessibility of human rights and justice. We bask in the radiance of their symbolism because we so desperately need their illuminating vision. (3) The rights set out in the Universal Declaration are nothing short of the conditions necessary for full participation in society. The declaration speaks of equality of all human beings. It speaks of the right to life, liberty, and security of the person. It prohibits torture and degrading treatment or punishment. It defines the...