Seventy years of the adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights are celebrated this year. The Universal Declaration is the first and most important international document for protection of human rights, which defines standards relevant for each person, which should be observed in all states. Even if it was adopted as a political-and not as a legally binding document, the Universal Declaration has in time become a part of international custom law. Values contained in the Declaration are relevant and timeless 70 years after its adoption, and it is only by observing them and applying them fully in national political systems that it is possible to build just and inclusive societies.

On 10 December 2018, the International Human Rights Day was celebrated in Montenegro with a Conference aiming at taking stock of the level of observance and protection of human rights and freedoms in Montenegro. The main focus was given to prevention of violence against women and protection against torture and inhuman treatment. The event was attended by high-level representatives of Montenegro as well as the representatives from the European Union Delegation, OSCE Mission to Montenegro, UNHCR and the Council of Europe. The Conference was followed by a moot court competition, endeavouring future legal professionals to familiarise themselves with the Convention system. The competition was conducted in English and involved students from the Faculty of Law of the University of Strasbourg and three Montenegrin Universities - University of Montenegro, the University of Donja Gorica and the Mediterranean University.

The activity was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe Action entitled “Fighting ill-treatment and impunity and enhancing the application of the European Court of Human Rights case-law on the national level”, which is being implemented in Montenegro under the joint Council of Europe and the European Union programme “Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey”.