The Panel on Human Dignity aims to make a meaningful contribution by taking the protection of human rights forward through reflection and proposals for action.
The Swiss Government decided to mark the event of the 60th Anniversary of the UDHR by launching an Agenda for Human Rights authored by a Panel of Eminent Persons alongside a research agenda to be conducted by selected research teams.
The project is sponsored and financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria actively support the project. The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights is responsible for the coordination and organisation of the Initiative.conference to negotiate the treaty is scheduled for four weeks in the summer of 2012.
Contact person
Aline Baumgartner
Projects manager
Related document
The Agenda
- Protecting Dignity: An Agenda for Human Rights [English]
- Protégeons la dignité : un Agenda pour les droits humains [French]
- Die Achtung der menschlichen Würde: eine Agenda für Menschenrechte [German]
- La protección de la dignidad: un programa de derechos humanos [Spanish]
- Proteger a dignidade: una agenda para os direitos humanos [Portuguese]
- Proteggere la dignità: un' agenda per i diritti humani [Italian]
- Защита достоинства: Повестка дня по правам человека [Russian]
- حمايةالكرامةالإنسانية: جدولأعمالمنأجلحقوقالإنسا[Arabic]
- 捍卫尊严：人权议程[Chinese]
Themes and Research projects (June 2009)
The Panel chose to highlight 8 themes to be prioritized and further researched.
Following a call for proposals, the Panel selected 10 research projects which relate to these themes.
1) Human Dignity
Human Rights and Human Dignity, by Jack Donnelly
Dignity: A Special Focus on Vulnerable Groups,by Frédéric Mégret, Florian Hoffmann, et al.
2) Prevention
Prevention is Better than Cure: The UN and Human Rights Education, by Paula Gerber
3) Detention
Democracy, Human Rights and Prison Conditions in South America, by Fernando Salla, et al.
4) Migration
The Protection of People Outside their State: A Comprehensive Analysis, by Mike Hayes,et al.
5) Statelessness
Statelessness and the Benefits of Citizenship: A Comparative Study, by Brad Blitz, Maureen Lynch, et al.
6) Right to Health
Addressing the Reproductive Health Rights of Women Living with HIV in Southern Africa,by Karen Stefiszyn, Mmatsie Mooki and Yohannes Tesfagabir
7) Climate change
The Status of Climate Refugees in Europe, by Marit Ammer
8) A world human rights court
Towards a World Court of Human Rights, by Martin Scheinin
A World Court of Human Rights, by Manfred Nowak and Julia Kozma
A world human right court: Consolidated Statute and Commentary (2010)
Today a plenitude of legal instruments for the protection of a vast number of human rights exists. Many of these rights have reached almost universal ratification. Regional courts have developed and their jurisdiction has brought relief to individual victims of human rights violations and has influenced national legislation and practice. The perpetrators of the most severe human rights violations can be held responsible before the International Criminal Court. Why is it, then, that we are still facing systematic and widespread violations, and that the gap between the high aspirations and the sobering reality, between human rights law and its implementation still exists?
The establishment of a World Court of Human Rights could help to bridge the gap between codified rights and reality. The idea of such a Court dates back to 1947. Due to the Cold War, however, the proposal did not find consensus among States. Thus the World Court of Human Rights was never realised and remained stigmatised as utopian. Probably due to this sense of political infeasibility, scholars have never undertaken to look into the legal possibilities of drafting a statute for the Court. Julia Kozma, Manfred Nowak and Martin Scheinin, authors of "A World Court of Human Rights – Consolidated Statute and Commentary" tried not only to come up with a solid statute but also took into consideration major challenges to the protection.
A World Court of Human Rights - Consolidated Statute and Commentary
By Julia Kozma, Manfred Nowak and Martin Scheinin, 2010
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