An obelisk for the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was inaugurated at Tour & Taxis

On Monday December 10th, the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an obelisk was inaugurated at Tour & Taxis in Brussels, on the initiative of Brussels Environment Minister Céline Fremault.

Before revealing the obelisk, various association representatives read.

Hafida Bachir, president of Vie Feminine, chose article 2, which refers to equality: “70 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and almost 40 years after the Convention on the Elimination of All Discrimination against Women, we must bitterly acknowledge that there are still glaring inequalities that prevent women from accessing their most basic rights.”

The obelisk, 12 meters high, consists of 30 stones of different colors and from various quarries, from the darkest down to the whitest at the top, the latter melting into the clouds of the sky. The 30 articles of the declaration are written in French, Dutch, German and English. “On the one hand the obelisk represents a frozen sunbeam, on the other hand it symbolizes permanence,” said landscape architect Bas Smets. “The colors of the natural stones of the monument will capture, reflect and freeze the sun through the various articles of the Universal Declaration. The obelisk thus materializes the protection of an enlightened idea.”

Minister Fremault stated that this declaration represented for her “a text of paramount importance that deserved to be materialized in the public space. This monument can enable schools, youth movements or other associations to work around these crucial issues. Our social cohesion depends on the way our society integrates these articles.”