On 7-8 October 2008, in a major inter-institutional initiative, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the United Nations marked the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by convening a high-level conference in Brussels, entitled "The Defenders take the floor". It was an occasion to review the international and regional support mechanisms that have been developed in favour of human rights defenders. Front Line Director, Mary Lawlor, gave a keynote speech, available here. 
