On 13 May 2019, the Council adopted the EU annual report on human rights and democracy in the world for 2018.
The report noted that in 2018 the EU remained at the forefront of the protection and promotion of human rights in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. The EU engaged in activities across the globe in line with the objectives set out in the EU action plan on human rights and democracy (2015-2019).
2018 was the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and during this year the EU continued to strongly support the promotion and protection of human rights at the heart of multilateralism – particularly important at a time when there have been serious negative trends in human rights and democracy around the world.
The 2018 annual report also notes that this year was not only about human rights challenges and setbacks; there was also a positive change. In 2018, the EU acted to identify and support positive human rights narratives, building on the vision of a human rights-based 2030 Agenda.
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EU annual report on human rights and democracy in the world, 2018