District 1

Human rights are the foundation of free societies. The globalised society must speak out in defence of the effective guarantee of rights, assuring peace, justice, freedom and conditions of well-being as the base of a harmonious and happy life for all. In the years that have passed since the United Nations General Assembly solemnly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948, political, social, ideological, cultural, economic, technological and scientific changes have taken place that have strongly affected our understanding of human rights, the mechanisms for their guarantee, and the strength and impact of the voices and movements that, from the global civil society, demand their respect.

More than half a century has passed, without doubt a considerable distance has been covered and a universal juridical patrimony is beginning to be built and consolidated. Nevertheless, human rights have not been defined in a permanent way because each social or technical evolution makes relationships more complex and opens new possible paths of domination or plunder. Who can doubt that we find ourselves today before one of these stages, perhaps one of the most difficult stages to be crossed in the history of humanity?This comission works to affirm the inexcusable demand that the international community and the state, regional and local public powers as well as non-governmental agents shall assume a greater role in the safeguard of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and that they shall procure the full effectiveness of the enjoyment of the rights by all human beings in an egalitarian way, without discrimination.