Albares and Borrell commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, attended the Conference
Yesterday.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, today opened the High-Level Conference organised by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European External Action Service to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The event, held at the Spanish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, contributed to the year-long celebrations of the Declaration, in line with the #HumanRights75 initiative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, gave the opening speech at the event, which was closed by the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, and the Spanish State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Ángeles Moreno.
The Conference was attended by former UN High Commissioners for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, Navi Pillay and Mary Robinson (the latter telematically), as well as civil society representatives (journalist Shada Islam, activist Francisco Vera, and Secretary General at Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard) and private sector representatives (President of the Spanish Network of the United Nations Global Compact, Clara Arpa), who discussed the importance of human rights in responding to modern challenges generated by climate change and new technologies.
The 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights offers a unique opportunity to reiterate the multilateral commitment to the universality, interdependence and indivisibility of human rights, and to address current and future challenges. The High-Level Conference was intended to serve as a reflection and contribution to anniversary celebrations, which will conclude with a high-level forum in Geneva on 11-12 December 2023.