1948-1998 : The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Statute of the International Criminal Court

I am pleased to comply with the request of the Editorial Board of the Fordham International Law Journal to introduce the readers to Book II of Volume 22, devoted to international human rights. This year we celebrate two important events: the adoption in Rome of the Statute of the International Criminal Court ( Rome Statute ), and the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ( Universal Declaration ). Both events are very closely linked to one other. The adoption of the Rome Statute can be considered an implementation of part of the Universal Declaration. Many articles of the Rome Statute can easily be traced back to articles of the Universal Declaration. It may be interesting to explore more in-depth the relationship between the rules regarding the protection of human rights and the international humanitarian rules, and to clarify the value of the additions of the Rome Statute. It is clear that the roots of the two legal regimes are completely different. This article will first define the different types of international humanitarian rules and the purpose behind them. Then the article will briefly discuss the purpose of human rights. Next, the article will explain the similarities between the Geneva Convention and the conventions laid out under the International Committee of the Red Cross. Lastly, the article will focus on the Rome Statute for the Establishment of an International Criminal Court and its contributions to bettering the protection of fundamental human rights