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FOREWORD PROFESSOR JUSTINE NOLAN Justine Nolan was named Academic of the Year in 2019 for her work as a Professor in the Faculty of Law and Justice at UNSW Sydney. In 2020, Justine became the Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute. Her research tends to focus specifically on the intersection of business with human rights.
The modern era of human rights began post World War II with the establishment of the United Nations and the adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration provides us with a basic list of 30 fundamental human rights. On this 30th anniversary year of the Human Rights Defender, it is timely to consider which of those 30 rights have progressed and which have fallen behind. Human rights are much more than a set of principles on a piece of paper. They provide us with a framework for striving to ensure that everyone around the world – no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status or sexual orientation – is treated with dignity. But too often their implementation falls short of the lofty standards set in the Universal Declaration. Human rights are in a constant state of evolution and this issue demonstrates we must never be complacent about their acceptance, recognition and implementation around the world. But we all must start somewhere, and often that will be ensuring rights are respected and protected in our own backyards. In the famous words of Eleanor Roosevelt: Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world.
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER | VOLUME 30: ISSUE 1 – AUGUST 2021
UNSW, and in particular, the Faculty of Law & Justice in which the Institute is located, has a long history of research and advocacy dedicated to progressing human rights. Building on the outstanding legacy of the Australian Human Rights Centre (est.1986), the Australian Human Rights Institute was established in 2018 to increase public awareness and academic scholarship on human rights. In the last three years, the Institute has successfully delivered high quality interdisciplinary human rights research, influenced policy and practice, whilst also broadening understanding of human rights within communities.
The Institute’s goal is to grow the next generation of human rights experts and we are proud to amplify the voices of human rights defenders around the globe via this magazine. Our aim is to continue to develop cutting edge research and foster collaborations to advance human rights solutions to real world problems.
