International events: Round table, dedicated to the United Nations Day, in Moscow

October 23, 2013 the Russian State Library (Moscow) holds an annual traditional round table dedicated to the Day of the United Nations. Theme 2013 – “Twenty years of fighting for your rights” - dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, 14-25 June 1993, Vienna (Austria).

June 25, 1993 representatives of 171 countries signed the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action. These documents have given impetus to the efforts of the international community to implement the principles of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They had secured the universality of human rights and the need to combat all forms of racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. The document emphasizes the rights of women, children, minorities and indigenous peoples.

On the elaboration of these historical documents - the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action – have been working about seven thousand representatives of governments, experts and scholars. By this process were involved representatives of more than 800 non-governmental organizations. At the conference, representatives of governments and non-governmental organizations for the first time together were talking about women’s rights.

The meeting in Vienna contributed to the strengthening of national human rights institutions in the world. The adopted in Vienna documents have been approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations and led to the creation of the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights (resolution 48/141, 1993).

This will be discussed at the round table “Twenty years of fighting for your rights”, which will be attended by leading Russian experts.