Reclaiming Universal Human Rights in a Plural Global Order. For critical and comprehensive activism

CRISTECHE, MAURO

McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism's Blog

McGill University Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism

Año: 2019

0024-9041

In the context of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 70th anniversary, this blog has been the canvas for the thought-provoking contributions of a number of scholars. If we had to outline a conclusion to a number of those interventions, it would surely be this one, highlighted by the blog?s editors in their call for submission: ?although the UDHR and subsequent UN human rights instruments have undeniably paved the way for the international human rights movement, grave rights violations continue to be perpetrated around the globe?. I would like to add that most of these grave violations are nothing of a novelty and some of them are even more serious than before. A fascinating interview with UQAM Professor Lucie Lamarche a few weeks ago, in which we talked about the problems and challenges of the human rights approach, has in that sense motivated me to choose a more provocative topic for this essay. If our goal is to reclaim Universal Human Rights in a Plural Global Order, my proposition is that our reflections need to be brought on the offensive to support demands and strategies with a strong critical perspective on Human Rights. For this, I would like to highlight some basic ideas: 1) our businesses are not only legal; 2) we should develop a deeper interdisciplinary approach and to not lower our standards; 3) the magnitude of our current challenges demand a comprehensive activism