75 Years UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Human Rights & Vienna Walk

10 December 2023 sees the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We will celebrate this important event with a public tour looking critically at Vienna's record.

This walk looks at how human rights and the city connect. It is a reminder that there are many ways of exploring Wien. We will look at equality, housing, refugees, feminism, dignity, homelessness, democracy, gender, mental health, the UN, ecology and transparency. With each of these areas, we will assess the strengths and weaknesses of Vienna's city government. Our walk goes from Haus Des Meeres Zoo to Habibi & Hawara.

With Vienna one of only four cities worldwide hosting the United Nations, and therefore with thousands of diplomats operating here, there is a special focus on this subject. Indeed the City of Vienna has its own human rights commissioner, Shams Asadi, originally herself a refugee from Iran. This is a city which cares a lot about such details, and has pioneered several ideas, including gender mainstreaming. At the same time, the UN declaration of human rights, in 1948, was a direct reaction to the second world war, which Austria helped to provoke.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, we see just about every human right being abused by Russian soldiers, in Europe. And human rights is a fast-developing field, with many debates around identity, justice, genetics, transgender issues, religious freedom (eg Burqa), and also reproduction. Come join the discussion!

Meeting point: Climbing frame on Haus des Meeres, Esterhazypark, 1060 (U3 Neubaugasse)

Duration: 2 hours, 15 mins

We walk in every weather.

Freestyle FreedomFighter Fremdenführer: Eugene

Cost contribution: €10. Children 14 or under go free. No reservation is possible - just get a card on the day. No walk is ever sold out, so don't worry about not getting a place on the tour.