Almost 70 years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948 at Palais de Chaillot, Paris. The declaration, being the most translated document in the world, available in 500 languages, proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being, a principle if meticulously adhered to, can improve peacebuilding efforts.
Human rights and peace-building represent two distinct approaches to the construction of a society where justice, security, and human dignity are fundamental principles. Both human rights and peace-building rely on, for instance, effective institutions and a principled approach to individual and social life, and they also have a number of other aspects in common.
Just like human rights cannot be respected in times of war and conflicts, also human rights violations can trigger violent conflicts, as when the rights of an individual or a group are abused or aren’t protected, it can give rise to violent conflicts which in turn lead to more human rights violations.
In Rwanda’s case, just like many post-conflict societies, the promotion and protection of human rights not only rebuild the society but also augments reconciliation efforts by providing justice to victims and creating institutions that will protect the rights of all in society. Both human rights and Peacebuilding practitioners combine efforts to try to assist societies in taking steps to ensure that the violence does not recur and that the rights of every human being are respected.
Although the UDHR itself is not legally binding, it has become the model of all ‘bill of human rights’ which are now found in most Constitutions. As the world will be celebrating 70 years of its existence, the onus falls on us all to take action in our own daily lives, to uphold the rights that protect us all and thereby promote the kinship of all human beings, so we can promote peacebuilding in our homes, schools, communities, countries, and the world at large.