Tom Lantos: “Fifty years is a long time, Madam Speaker, and it is most appropriate for us to recommit ourselves and this body and our…”

“Fifty years is a long time, Madam Speaker, and it is most appropriate for us to recommit ourselves and this body and our Nation to this vital document. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the most monumental events in the history of human rights. It is the accepted international definition of human rights, and the declaration continues to serve as the basis for subsequent international human rights law and treaties. And it is the critical starting point for future international agreements on human rights. Now, I am not naive, Madam Speaker, and I understand that in scores of countries, this Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not observed.”