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BIM Annual Report 2008 - Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für ...

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<strong>BIM</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>2008</strong><br />

Human Dignity and Public Security<br />

A World Court of Human Rights<br />

Summary<br />

The year <strong>2008</strong> marked the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In order to<br />

commemorate this event, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs decided to establish a<br />

Panel of Eminent Persons, including inter alia former High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson,<br />

the UN Special Representative on Children in Armed Conflict, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, UN Special<br />

Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, and other high-standing experts on human rights. The<br />

Panel was requested to elaborate on contemporary challenges to the enjoyment of human rights; the<br />

outcome document “Protecting Dignity: An Agenda for Human Rights” was launched in Geneva on 5<br />

December <strong>2008</strong>.<br />

In a second step, eight themes deriving from the Agenda were identified for further research, including<br />

the establishment of a World Court of Human Rights. This idea was already discussed in the 1940s<br />

alongside proposals for a High Commissioner and an International Criminal Court. It is based on the<br />

firm belief that human rights violations require remedies and is now put in the context of the reform of<br />

UN human rights mechanisms in general.<br />

The project aims at providing an assessment on the necessity and desirability of such as World Court,<br />

an analysis of the circumstances under which it could be established and a concrete proposal on how it<br />

could become operational.<br />

Further information: http://www.udhr60.ch/research.html<br />

Countries<br />

Persons<br />

involved<br />

global<br />

Authors<br />

Manfred Nowak<br />

Julia Kozma<br />

Contact person<br />

Julia Kozma, julia.kozma@univie.ac.at<br />

Lead<br />

organisation<br />

<strong>Ludwig</strong> <strong>Boltzmann</strong><br />

<strong>Institut</strong>e of Human Rights<br />

Research Platform<br />

“Human Rights in the<br />

European Context”,<br />

University of Vienna<br />

Partner<br />

organisations<br />

The Geneva Academy of<br />

International Humanitarian<br />

Law and Human Rights (Adh)<br />

Starting/<br />

end date<br />

December <strong>2008</strong> to May 2009<br />

Funded by<br />

Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs<br />

91

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