Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60th Anniversary

Dec. 10, 2008 is the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly, which is celebrated as Human Rights Day. The UDHR is not a treaty or international agreement, but the first global statement proclaiming the importance of basic human rights to the world community. It was borne by the desire of the international community to never again suffer the atrocities of World War II. It declares, in part, that

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

The UDHR serves as a summation of important traditional civil and political rights, including freedom from slavery, equal treatment before the law, protection against arbitrary arrest, the right to a fair trial, freedom of assembly, speech, religion, and thought, the right to own property, and the right to education.

Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the UDHR drafting committee, which consisted of 18 individuals from as many countries. The group argued over every word and every comma in every language, but ultimately overcame cultural differences and, guided by the firm hand of Mrs. Roosevelt, completed the UDHR in two years. A number of events are scheduled in celebration of this important achievement at the UN and around the world.

United Nations Lecture Series on International Law

The United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law is a new website which includes a collection of lectures "on virtually every subject of international law given by leading international law scholars and practitioners from different regions, legal systems, cultures and sectors of the legal profession." The site is easy to navigate, and I was able to watch portions of several lectures without any technical difficulties. The Lecture Series collection is still growing. Many lectures have already been posted, along with supplementary material (bibliographies, outlines, etc.) when those have been made available by the speaker. Additional lectures are already as "forthcoming."
The United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law also includes the Historic Archives, a section of the website organized by legal instrument, and the Research Library, a collection of links to other Internet resources essential to the study of international law. The website is free, and no password or registration is required.

United Nations Juridical Yearbook

The Director of Codification Division of Office of Legal Affairs, Mahnoush H. Arsanjani, announced that "a new website for the United Nations Juridical Yearbook has been established by the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations." Director Arsanjani continues,

"United Nations Juridical Yearbook has been published on an annual basis since 1963, reviewing legal developments of the United Nations and related intergovernmental organizations. The publication consists of three substantive parts, divided into eight chapters covering different legal themes, together with a fourth part containing an extensive bibliography."

The site allows the user to search the complete digitized collection by volume and/or using full-text search (of the entire collection, by volume or by individual chapters).