UNA-Spain and, collaborating with them the Insititut de Drets Humans de Catalunya (IDHC), organized a conference about the Human Rights in Europe to mark the occasion of the Human Rights Universal Declaration 60th anniversary. The conferece was celebrated from the 27th to the 29th February in Barcelone and it was directed to University students.
During these three days, the group of 50 students who came from the UE, the Balkans and the East of Europe countries; discussed about the minorities and refugees defence in Europe, emerging rights, and cultural and religious rigths.

In those days, the young people were divided into three groups so that each group could discuss in depth about one of the issues already mentioned. The group dealing with the minorities and refugees in Europe debated about the gipsy ethnic group spreading all over Europe; they also dealt with Kosovo, the new European State, that declared its independance the 17th February 2008. The group related with emerging rights highlighted the importance of some rights such as the sexual orientation rithgt, the water ritght, and the sustainable development right. Last but not least, the third group discussed about the controversial theme “Why should we learn Catalan in order to work in Catalunya, if Spanish is the Country Official Language?”; and they also dealt with the importance of the freedom of religion, and the importance of having an education in order to be tolerant with other cultures.

But in those days there were not only debates, the students could also profited from some conferences given by very notable people. For instance, Fernando Fernández Arias, Human Rights Office director from the Spanish Ministry of Cooperation and Foreign Affairs. Another important person collaborating was Marta Ortega, lecturer in International Rights at the Universitat de Barcelona; her speech was focus on the high contradiction that exists in the EU relating to the respect of Human Rights. The third speaker was the Euro-MP Raül Romeva, who agreed with Marta Ortega in the Human Rights theme; he also spoke about the importance of the European Parliament’s role, that not only gives recommendations, but also makes debates and develops lines of work wich, afterwords, would be taken into account by the EU Executive Council.

The last day, a representative from each group read the elaborated resolution in the European Parliament and Commission head offices in Barcelona. Each group wrote its advises and requestes, but the three of them agreed in a proposal: the education is an important key tool to make Human Rights been respected.
Final conclusions