Monday 10 de december de 2018

Information for the Press N°: 485/18

In December 1948, the international community signed two key instruments on the development of international protection of human rights.

On 9 December, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was signed in Paris and became the first treaty to protect human rights, under which States undertake to prevent acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group and punish those responsible in accordance with international law.

On 10 December, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in New York, which marked a milestone for humanity, by recognizing the universality of the inherent, equal and inalienable rights of all human beings. Since then, it has been an inspiration for over a hundred human rights protection instruments and the fundamental basis for all past and future developments in this matter.

Both documents have become part of the Argentine Constitution in its last reform, which incorporated them as the supreme law of Argentina after their entry into force, placing them at the core of Argentine State policy for the protection of rights.

On the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the signature of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Government of the Argentine Republic wishes to recall the historic consensus reached by the international community regarding the need to protect human rights; the untiring effort of those who worked towards this achievement and all those who since then found an inspiration and guide in these texts in order to make them a reality.

We are committed to their full force and we hope for a world in which all rights are fully respected.