Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung is an internationally operating progressive, non-profit institution for civic education, working on democratic and social rights for all people.

UDHR @ 75

As an organization committed to social justice, democracy and solidarity, the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung recognizes the pivotal role of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in upholding these values. Adopted on December 10, 1948, by the United Nations General Assembly, The Declaration remains a cornerstone of international human rights law and a beacon of hope for people around the world. On this website, the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung invites you to join their teams in reflecting on the significance of the Universal Declaration of Human and its ongoing relevance to the struggle for a more just and equitable work.


Recent

Jun. 2023

The right to freedom of association: also for queer people? 

Dr Mira Fey and Lizzie Wright

Why it matters for international actors The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) stresses that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights (art. 1) and therefore entitled to the rights and freedoms subsequently outlined in the declaration, without “distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political […]


Dossier

Dossier

Global Health

The human right to access to the best possible health, enshrined in the United Nations Charter of Human Rights, is denied to half the world’s population. Millions of people around the world die from diseases that could be easily cured with today’s medical science. In many parts of the world, there is a shortage of doctors and medical professionals, as well as hospitals and health posts. Access to vital medicines is highly unevenly distributed: One third of the world’s population has no access because patent rules in the interest of the pharmaceutical industry lead to high drug prices and prevent a fair distribution of vital medicines. Basic medical care has to be paid for out of one’s own pocket in many places, even in public hospitals – unaffordable for millions of people. The result: instead of a publicly accessible health system, health becomes a commodity for the privileged. Medical undersupply is only one part of the global health crisis. All over the world, it is the social and political conditions that determine life and death far more than medical factors. The conditions under which we grow up, live, work and learn have a decisive influence on our health: two billion people have no access to clean drinking water. It is estimated that 20 million people die every year from poverty-related diseases. The sheer coincidence of where one is born determines life expectancy and opportunities, healing or suffering, life or death. Inequalities do not only run along geographical lines, but are also caused by socio-political factors. Poor people everywhere get sick more often and die earlier. Global health policy therefore needs regulation of the prevailing economy. What is needed are not bi- and multilateral trade treaties to protect the interests of investors, but treaties with which the economy is hemmed in across borders according to social standards. Health care must become a public good to which everyone everywhere in the world is entitled.

Cover of the ARM report

Oct. 2022

Untangling antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Nicoletta Dentico, Garance Upham and Arno Germond


Focus

Dec. 2022

As important as ever: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Eva Wuchold

One year from today marks the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly. For us as a progressive foundation based at the site of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, this is a good time to reflect on human rights as such and […]


Our Work

Social Rights

We are working towards a world that guarantees social justice. The working focus on social rights aims to globally strengthen the discourse on social rights and actors involved in this field. Because social rights must always be Global Social Rights. This is to be achieved on the one hand through the media, i.e. through publications and other media products, and on the other hand through partner projects and workshops.

International Organising

Exploitation through poor social and environmental standards is the flipside of a global value chain. Wages below the comparable minimum wage, health hazards at the workplace, lack of social security in the event of illness, accident or old age, and precarious employment relationships pose major challenges worldwide. We support better networking and organisation along transnational value chains, which enables trade unions to assert the interests of employees even in globally operating corporations and globally branched production processes.

Socio-Ecological Transformation

A sustainable fight against climate change is only possible through a far-reaching socio-ecological transformation. We therefore support the promotion of the concept of "climate justice" as well as progressive "just transition" approaches and transformative adaptation measures. The goal of all efforts must be a global economic order that is resource- and climate-just and capable of ensuring the self-renewal of the planet.


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UDHR @ 75

As an organization committed to social justice, democracy and solidarity, the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung recognizes the pivotal role of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in upholding these values. Adopted on December 10, 1948, by the United Nations General Assembly, The Declaration remains a cornerstone of international human rights law and a beacon of hope for people around the world. On this website, the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung invites you to join their teams in reflecting on the significance of the Universal Declaration of Human and its ongoing relevance to the struggle for a more just and equitable work.