MACRON MARKS 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS – President recalls the need to help rights defenders in oppressive states
French President Emmanuel Macron marked the 75th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights in Paris on Sunday (December 10).
On December 10, 1948 the U.N. General Assembly, then housed at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, forming a foundation for international human rights law and a first universal statement on the basic principles of human rights.
The text has been translated to more than 500 languages, and has inspired the constitutions of many nation states, the Elysee Palace said.
In his address to the participants, Macron said it was important to carrying on the fight to recognise the rights of women, children, and members of the LGBT community.
Macron noted France’s commitment to defending women’s rights, saying a text that seeks to inscribe a women’s right to abortion in the constitution, will be taken up by his cabinet in the coming days.
He also criticised “relativist” and “twisted conservatism” in many continents, including in Europe, that is penalising homosexuality.
Macron also recalled the need to help rights defenders in oppressive states, by facilitating visas to European countries.
Among the guests at the Palais de Chaillot on Sunday were representatives of countries who were members of the U.N. General Assembly in 1948. Forty-eight of the 58 member countries voted in favour of adopting the human rights declaration.