Peace, Justice and Freedom: Human Rights Challenges for the New Millennium

On the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, hundreds of people gathered in Edmonton, Alberta to reflect on the accomplishments of the Declaration and current challenges to human rights. This volume offers their collective insights. Participants in this landmark conference included: Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town; Francine Fournier, Assistant Director General of UNESCO; Her Excellency Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; and The Right Honourable Antonio Lamer, Chief Justice of Canada. "From federal ministers, to Chinese and Vietnamese dissidents, to academics, the judiciary, advocates for the poor, the disabled, the disenfranchised and the minorities; the delegates engaged in vibrant and compassionate dialogue which was both enriching and worrisome." --Canadian Senate Debates

Gurcharan Bhatia and J.S. (Jack) O'Neill co-chaired the 1998 Universal Rights and Human Values Conference. Gerald Gall and Patrick Bendin are lawyers with an interest in civil liberties.

J.S. (Jack) O'Neill was co-chair of the Universal Rights and Human Values Conference. He is the former chief commissioner of the Alberta Human Rights Commission and deputy minister of Culture and Multiculturalism in the Alberta government. He holds degrees in education from the University of Manitoba and Fordham University in New York and was a member of the Jesuit Order of Canada from 1943 to 1973.

Gerald L. Gall (d. 2012) was a Professor of Law at the University of Alberta where he taught constitutional law, civil liberties, and human rights. He served on several boards of directors and co-founded the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights. He was executive director of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice and the author of the first, second, third and fourth editions of The Canadian Legal System.

Patrick D. Bendin is a lawyer with the Canadian Department of Justice where he currently practices in the area of civil litigation. He is a sessional instructor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta and a member of the Alberta Bar.