The Human Rights Conference at Adelphi University, in commemoration of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 8, 1948, will bring together eminent U.N. insiders, scholars, and the non-governmental organization (NGO) community to assess the problems, progress, and prospects for universal human rights in the 21st century. The conference, sponsored by the International Initiatives Committee, will take place on Wednesday, December 3, 2008, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Adelphi*s Ruth S. Harley University Center Ballroom, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY. In an era when U.N. member states have endorsed a responsibility to protect while refugees flee violence in Darfur and elsewhere, the gap remains between promise and practice. The panelists will explore what does the future hold as we mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This conference is free and open to the public but registration is required.

Adelphi will use the panelists* expertise to discuss the overall role of the U.N. in bolstering universal human rights, the politics of human rights promotion, humanitarian practice at the U.N., the role of NGOs and civil society, and the prospects for embedding human rights into authoritative international law.

Conference schedule is as follows:

1:00 to 2:30 p.m. The U.N. and Human Rights: Programs, Politics, and Practice

*Ms. Gillian Sorensen, senior advisor and national advocate, United Nations Foundation

*Mr. Emanuele Giaufret, European Commission Delegation to the United Nations

*Mr. Andrew Whitley, director, UNRWA Liaison Office, United Nations, New York

2:30 to 3:30p.m - Coffee Break

3:30 to 5:00p.m- Beyond Politics? Civil Society, International Courts, and the Evolution of Universal Human Rights

*Ms. Yvonne Terlingen, Amnesty International Representative to the United Nations

*Mr. John Washburn, convenor, American NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court

*Dr. Donald J. Puchala, Byrnes professor of international studies, University of South Carolina

For more information or to register to attend the

conference, please contact Associate Professor Katie Laatikainen at (516) 877-4597 or laatikai@adelphi.edu.