“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) reflects the fundamental basis of humanism. However, despite much progress, these rights cannot yet be enjoyed everywhere. In Europe and around the world today, the rights and opportunities in a person’s life are determined by where they are born.
For humanists, the UDHR is both a moral and political framework and a source of inspiration that underpins our fundamental values of freedom, equality, solidarity and human dignity. Upholding human rights has been a key criterion for EU accession from the outset.
Humanists also promote the principle of secularism. This ensures the separation between church and state in order to guarantee freedom of thought, opinion and belief and to ensure that every individual is equal before the law. Secularity as a state principle guarantees fundamental rights for all, without discrimination. At a time when populist voices are causing division, this is more necessary than ever to maintain cohesion and unity in a diverse Europe.
Secularism is humanistic at its core: open, based on the emancipation of the individual, respect for people, the open encounter of ideas and the pursuit of greater equality through education. Secularism guarantees dignity to all in their life choices.
With growing inequality, unresolved migration issues, urgent climate challenges, rising populism and extremism, overt racism and religious radicalism and the polarization of society around these issues, the EU’s ability to uphold its values on the one hand and face up to global challenges on the other is increasingly in question. Instead, many are calling for short-sighted national solutions.
As humanists, we believe that the question is not about European competences and competences per se, but about how our values can continue to be the driving force behind European integration. This manifesto sets out a vision of a more humane EU that finds solutions to bridge the growing gap between its values and the policies it pursues. A Europe that is truly based on freedom, equality, solidarity and human dignity.
This manifesto is based on a comprehensive memorandum of the European Humanist Federation, which is addressed to the European authorities and will form the line defended by the national member organizations of the EHF.
You can find the German translation of the Humanist Manifesto here.
Both the Humanist Manifesto and the more comprehensive memorandum are available in other languages on the EHF website.
