UN Declaration of Human Rights Day Commemoration Service

Dean of Brisbane, The Very Reverend Dr Peter Catt; United Nations Association of Australia Queensland Division President, Professor Susan Harris-Rimmer, Past Presidents, Committee and Members; today’s guest speaker, Griffith Asia Institute Professor of International Relations, Professor Renee Jeffery; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to all First Nations people with us this evening.

I’d also like to acknowledge the wonderful performers of the Brisbane Combined Unions Choir – thank you for sharing your beautiful voices with us.

Seventy-five years ago tomorrow, 50 countries signed the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and called upon all nations to disseminate the 30 articles of the declaration, beginning with the fundamental and enduring tenet, expressed in Article 1, that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.

The enormity of that achievement can only be truly appreciated in the context of the time. In December 1948, the United Nations was barely three years old and the world was still reeling from the impact of six long years of war – a war that had exposed, more than any previous conflict, the need for human dignity, freedom and rights to be protected.

Throughout those six years, the world witnessed an unprecedented parade of horrors perpetrated by all parties to the conflict – the Holocaust in Germany, the Japanese invasion of China and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were just some of the very long and sobering list of atrocities that demonstrated clearly that the declaration was an idea whose time had come.

The nations of the world responded, and today the declaration is recognised as one of the most significant and important actions in the UN’s history.

However, and there is seemingly always a ‘however’ in human history. The lack of a mechanism to enforce compliance was identified as an issue almost as soon as the declaration was announced, and the need to protect human rights has only increased in the intervening three-quarters of a century.

Among the daunting and expanding list of global challenges are the issues of climate change and environmental degradation; the plight of refugees, minorities and Indigenous populations throughout the world; increased discrimination, inequality and exploitation; the rise of populism and corporate abuse; inequitable access to health care, food and water; cyber security; combatting violence and abuse – and the disturbing series of conflicts that continue around the world.

Given the length of that list, it can be easy to fall into despair. But organisations such as the United Nations Association, and civic institutions like our churches give us faith, and support our hope that a better, kinder, more humane world is possible and that, even in an imperfect world, it is possible to achieve dignity, freedom and justice for all.

I thank The Very Reverend Dr Peter Catt and the Committee and members of the Queensland division of the United Nations Association of Australia for the invitation extended to Graeme and me to be with you today, and I congratulate the Association and the many other organisations here tonight on their continued commitment to promoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We all pray that, one day, those rights will truly be universal.

Thank you.