70 years ago, on December 10, 1948, the 58 Member States of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris, at the Palais de Chaillot. A declaration of 30 articles which, as announced in its preamble, constitutes “the common ideal to be attained by all peoples and nations”.

This was the wish of the international community in the aftermath of a Second World War that had reached the heights of barbarism. Was this wish fulfilled? Current events show us that there is still a long way to go and that the defence of human rights is a daily struggle.

We only have to open our newspapers, our radio or television sets to realize how, 70 years later, humanity still does not know how to learn from the past. Fundamental rights such as non-discrimination, freedom of expression, free movement of persons, access to medical care, education… but also freedom, justice and peace more generally are still too often ignored in many parts of the world.

Press cartoonists, in direct contact with news, are undoubtedly the best placed to sound the alarm when these rights are violated. However, they must not be the first victims themselves….

To see our previous weekly editorials on international news, take a look here!