In 1948, in the aftermath of the World War II and the Holocaust, nations of the world came together to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a powerful and highly respected document that says, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." Yet today there is a rising tide of violence and assault on human dignity all around the globe.
Digital media has changed everything and created an historically unprecedented opportunity to inspired a new generation with support for the timeless vision of universal rights. Digital platforms create a window of opportunity to reach the minds of the next generation by increasing awareness of and support for fundamental human rights.
The Universal Rights Academy (URA) is created to be the global voice for the powerful truth that everyone everywhere has human dignity, value and worth deserving of protection.
Universal Rights 2.0 explains the timeless principles at the foundation of the educational vision of the Universal Rights Academy and the urgency of inspiring a new generation to champion those principles in our time.
After attending inner-city public schools in New York City, Daniels received a full scholarship to Dartmouth College where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1985. He later received a Public Interest Law Scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he obtained both his law degree and a Master's in Public Administration. He was subsequently awarded a doctoral fellowship in American Politics tostudy judicial policymaking and the rule of law at Brandeis University.After launching an online video portal in partnership with venture capital specialist Sequoia Capital, Dr. Daniels founded Good of All, an international public education movement dedicated to promoting universal human rights in the Digital Age. Building from an initial base in South Korea, Good of All has launched academic programs on three continents and developed www.universalrights.com, a video platform for students from GOA academic centers to develop videos that teach their peers online the universal human rights principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Dr. Daniels serves as Distinguished University Professor of Law, Political Science, and Human Rights at Anderson University in Anderson, SC.
Archbishop Prof. Dr. theol., Dr. phil. Thomas Paul Schirrmacher is the President of both the International Council of the International Society for Human Rights in Frankfurt and the International Institute for Religious Freedom in Costa Rica and Bonn. He was Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance from 2021 to 2024, having served the WEA for 25 years in various roles including Associate Secretary General for Theological Concerns and Intrafaith and Interfaith Relations. He travels to over 50 countries per year, meeting governments, religious leaders and human rights defenders, and listening to victims of human rights violations at the grassroots level. He has earned four doctorates and written 95 books in 16 languages, most of which focus on specific human rights violations.
Matthias K. Boehning is Secretary General of the International Society for Human Rights (www.ishr.org), an organization working in more than 40 countries around the world with a specific focus on strengthening human rights defenders, promoting Freedom of Religion and Belief, and countering the persecution of Christians. He also serves as International Director of the Qatar Centre for Peace and Democracy (https: //qatarcpd.com), where he leads initiatives aimed at protecting minorities, strengthening the respect of labor rights for migrant workers in GCC countries, exposing risks of radicalization around the world and fostering innovation in the humanitarian space. Matthias is based in Bonn, Germany while regularly working in ISHR and QCPD offices in London, Brussels, Geneva and Muscat.
