Utrecht: City of Human Rights

This website is part of a major project by Utrecht University, filmmaker True Heroes Films and photographic artist Jan Banning. Within the project 'Utrecht: City of Man and Justice', we explore, imagine, spread and connect human rights.

In 2023, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) celebrated its 75th anniversary. But what exactly do the rights in that Declaration mean, where can you find them and how do they play a role in the Netherlands today?

Knowing human rights

It is essential for all of us to know what our rights are so that we know our rights and those of others. From young to old, and from poor to rich: everyone benefits from this. Good knowledge of human rights helps to better protect them and to reduce the chances of having your rights violated. That is why we explain all thirty rights from the Universal Declaration on this website.

In this project, an enthusiastic group of Utrecht law students researched the various rights from the UDHR: Amber Aerts, Julia van de Boel, Barya Boskma, Janna de Jager, Micha Kruijt, Maudy Pennekamp, Ilissa Ruiter, Anna Schotanus and Sjoerd Touwen. Under the guidance of and in collaboration with researchers Antoine Buyse and Hanneke van Eijken, they described the rights in the UDHR for everyone aged fourteen and above. Aleid Bos of APC Text Edition helped to convert the results into understandable and accessible language. 

Imagining human rights

Human rights are part of our daily lives, often without knowing it. To make that tangible, this project depicts human rights in words and images. Human rights come to life in the portraits and stories of residents of Utrecht.

The Utrecht-based filmmakers of the True Heroes Films captured the stories of residents of the city whose lives are in some way linked to a right from the Universal Declaration. The Utrecht-based photographer Jan Banning made portraits to accompany various articles from the Declaration. The film and photo portraits show a cross-section of society. In this way, it shows how universal human rights affect the lives of the inhabitants of Utrecht. In this project, the film and photo material is used as a means to enter human rights in a dialogue with the residents of the city of Utrecht. The aim is to increase social connection on the one hand and to increase knowledge about human rights on the other.

Spreading human rights

This education platform is aimed at a broad audience. The accessible texts on the various articles of the Universal Declaration and the unique film and photo material make human rights tangible and concrete. It also provides valuable material for e.g. education on human rights, democracy and citizenship. The project was developed in Utrecht, the first human rights city in the Netherlands. Our approach also aims to be an inspiration and a blueprint for other human rights cities, at home and abroad. The collaboration between students, teachers, makers and social partners, combined with in-depth films and photography and public debate, can in principle be applied anywhere. It is precisely through the stories of local residents that human rights get a face and become tangible.

Connecting human rights

Within the project, we work together with various social partners in terms of content and expertise. In the coming years, they will help spread the words and images in the city of Utrecht and throughout the Netherlands. Human rights as a common and unifying language is central to this: by using our human rights, we can discuss and address social problems and help strengthen the dignity of every human being.