Immediately after World War II, people recoiled from the horrible experiences they had undergone. There was a general feeling that everything possible must be done to prevent a similar disaster from happening again. It was at this time that the United Nations was organised. No more war; conflicts would be solved by discussion rather than by fighting. In the same optimistic mood several Humanist organisations were restructured or founded, but above all there was the idea that a Universal Declaration of Human Rights was required. So the UDHR was proclaimed.

In the last 60 years this Declaration has proved its worth: at least nations and various organisations referred to it and a majority knew that it was important to abide by these articles because they risked the disapproval of the rest of the world if they violated them.

The UDHR has always been considered as the basis of a tolerant, open society, and certainly Humanists refer to it as a key document.

The original UN Commission for Human Rights was established to further the ideals of the UDHR and put them into practice, but as a result of its obvious deficiencies and politicisation it finally had to be dismantled and the new Human Rights Council was set up to provide a new start.

We now know that this has failed completely: instead of promoting human rights it is limiting human rights! But this is an official UN Council and it is high time that all UN members acted against this violation. Some NGOs including some from Islamic countries, are protesting against restrictions on freedom of expression . This is important. We cannot accept different declarations for different groups of people.

We must use this occasion to underline the importance of the Declaration and bring to the world’s attention what has happened in Geneva. Our member organisations, certainly those from countries which declare themselves supporters of human rights, must pressure their governments to halt the abuse of the Council. If we don’t react now, what will be next?

More than ever it is necessary to unite with all democrats to defend this precious text. As Humanists we cannot tolerate that the merits of the Age of Enlightenment are ignored, and worse, rejected. It is, for instance, out of respect for human beings and their universal rights that we want to improve the living conditions of the Dalits.

Awareness of Humanism and its importance for everyday life is growing. You can read this in the articles on Africa. Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done, but we see that we are moving in the right direction. Even if it sometimes seems much too slow, or less efficient than we might wish, there is some progress. Education must remain one of our important themes along with the popularisation of science: we need to show people how science explains so much that is poorly understood – for example, that there is no such thing as witchcraft. We must teach people to act as autonomous individuals, teach them to think for themselves.

Let us reclaim Humanist values! Indeed, that is the theme of our next Congress. We just hope that it will also be heard in the White House and by the candidates for the next US presidency.

And don’t forget: 2015 is not far away. The UN Millennium Development Goals are targeted to be accomplished by then. Those goals are the practical consequences of the UDHR. It is impossible to reach them if we don’t respect human rights. Education is and will remain the best remedy against ignorance. Knowledge is the best way to oppose economic, political and religious dictatorship. Indeed, a lot of work is waiting for us…

Sonja Eggerickx is President of IHEU