WUNRN
CELEBRATING
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT & THE
UNIVERSAL
DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
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Eleanor Roosevelt regarded the Universal Declaration as her greatest accomplishment. |
Memorial Celebrating Eleanor Roosevelt &
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
December 5, 2008
A lasting memorial to Eleanor Roosevelt will be dedicated on December 5,
2008 at the Place des Nations, in front of the United Nations, Geneva ,
Switzerland . The memorial, initiated by the NGO CSW Task Force and funded by
donations will honor Eleanor Roosevelt as the driving force behind the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A booklet on Eleanor Roosevelt’s role
and the importance of the UDHR will accompany the ceremony inaugurating the
plaque. The Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, Hyde Park , NY is
providing text by John Sears and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFAE) will sponsor the printing of the booklet. Swiss Foreign Affairs
Minister Mme Micheline Calmy-Rey will be present at the ceremony.
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The Driving Force Behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
“Where, after all, do universal human rights
begin?
In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be
seen on any maps of the world.
Yet they are the world of the individual person;
the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the
factory, farm, or office where he works.
Such are the places
where every man woman and child seeks equal justice, equal
opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination.
Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere.
Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall
look in vain for progress in the larger world.”
HUMAN RIGHTS PIONEERS
Eleanor Roosevelt served as chair of the
Human Rights Committee and it was her leadership that was the major factor
ensuring the passage of the Declaration. Historians agree that without her,
the declaration would probably never have passed. Eleanor Roosevelt's
leadership brought the 18 other members of the Commission together to cooperate
effectively despite political differences, cultural barriers and personal
rivalries.
We recognize Eleanor Roosevelt and her colleagues for their contribution in ensuring the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the "Magna Carta" of our times.
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