“Universal is both a very simple but profoundly important word when it comes to human rights,” Neve says. “If human rights are truly going to mean anything for any of us, then we have to be confident that they are going to be respected and protected for all of us.”

Following his Massey Lecture, Neve will discuss his activism and perspective on human rights at Vancouver Public Library (Sept. 26, Central Library). He will be joined by Kathryn Gretsinger, associate professor of teaching at the University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism, Writing, and Media.

Rights for all

This promise of universality is rooted in the United Nations’ 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For Neve, the UN’s choice to title the document “the Universal Declaration” is purposeful; it signalled the need to protect human rights “universally” following the Second World War.

“That’s quite an unusual word to use for a legal document, and there’s no question that was very intentional,” the lawyer adds.

At its core, the universal promise extends human rights to everyone regardless of where they are. These rights also apply at all times.

Neve points out that this promise “has been betrayed,” as “billions of people” around the world are denied their human rights. He adds that the consequences of this betrayal “have become grave.”

“We live in a world in which the human rights of all of us are literally being imperilled because of our failure to take action to address the climate crisis,” Neve points to an example. “We live in a world in which our human rights are being eroded because of hate, division and misinformation which vilifies communities and polarizes society.”

Neve’s lectures – accompanied by his book Universal: Renewing Human Rights in a Fractured World – examine this failure to deliver on the universal promise. It also highlights the potential to fulfill this promise in the future. While governments were signatories on the Human Rights Declaration, Neve sees individuals as also responsible for delivering on this promise.

“It’s not that we’re just meant to sit back and wait for our rights to be protected by our government,” he explains. “We also are supposed to actively be engaged and ensuring that we are doing everything we can to deliver the human rights promise to others.”

Considering solutions

Neve adds that this individual responsibility is written in the Human Rights Declaration itself. While he acknowledges that there has been “huge progress” in human rights, Neve recognizes how it has both failed and been betrayed.

“The failure is that the promise has not been delivered,” he explains. “The betrayal is that we have not been able to truly live and enjoy what that promise is all about.”

According to the lawyer, many factors have led to this situation. They range from individual greed to capitalist structures. Geopolitical concerns, such as countries wanting to dominate others, also play a role.

“Even when we agree that [human rights] are good and important, we have a tendency to think, ‘we’ll leave them for later,’” he adds. “We don’t recognize how important it is to actually begin with human rights when we’re setting government policies [and] laws.”

Neve presents several solutions; the first involves “putting human rights first.” His other solutions include committing to equality, protecting human rights defenders as well as holding human rights violators accountable.

“I talk about how important it is that we start to be expansive in how we understand and approach human rights,” Neve adds of another solution. “The climate crisis, which was understood to be an environmental crisis, is now recognized at its core as a human rights crisis.”

Another solution encourages people to speak out against human rights violations. Neve has worked in this field for over 35 years; he has previously served as the secretary general for Amnesty International Canada. His understanding of human rights is constantly changing, just as the world continues to evolve.

Aside from climate change, he recognizes social media and digital technology as another expanding human rights topic. For him, universality remains foundational to these conversations.

“If people come away having overcome some of the disempowerment and despair and embrace the notion that they can be and must be part of the change we so urgently need in our world, that will be very satisfying,” Neve says of his hope for the talks.

For more information on the York Theatre talk, see https://thecultch.com/event/universal-the-2025-cbc-massey-lectures

For more information on the VPL event, see https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/68af9af109c63c2f007bf326

For more information on Alex Neve, see www.alexneve.ca