To mark the 30th anniversary of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, a high-level symposium entitled “Vienna World Conference 30 Years On: Our Rights – Our Future” will take place in Vienna on 6 June 2023. At this event, organised by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs in cooperation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), human rights stakeholders from diverse backgrounds will discuss current and future challenges as well as best practices in the promotion and protection of human rights.
In addition to the high-level symposium, the Foreign Ministry is co-organising the Vienna Youth Human Rights Defenders Conference and cultural events with a human rights focus, including the Artists For Human Rights exhibition. For the general public, the Vienna-based International Organisations together with the Foreign Ministry will present their engagement in the field of human rights on 5 and 6 June in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier.
Building on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948, the World Conference in 1993 affirmed the universality and indivisibility of human rights. A pivotal moment, the conference‘s main outcome was the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA), a common plan for the strengthening of human rights work, as well as the establishment of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
30 years after the adoption of the VDPA, addressing human rights challenges is more important than ever. In spite of major achievements, multiple and interlocking crises keep the fulfilment of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on the horizon, with human rights often being deployed to justify divisions. In addition, new important aspects have emerged, such as globalization, digitization and climate change. Yet, without realising human rights for all, there can be no lasting peace and no lasting security.
