Ottawa 
Events Description
Universal: Renewing Human Rights in a Fractured World
Universality is the core promise of the human rights order born out of the devastation of World War II and the Holocaust: these rights extend to everyone, everywhere, at all times, without exception. But the cruel reality is that the word universal also screams of our profound failure to keep the promise. Too often, human rights are applied selectively, withdrawn on the whims of political leaders, or ignored altogether.
At a time of immense global challenges, including the climate crisis, mass atrocities, and the rise of hate, the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is deeply contested and frayed, even as people demand and embrace their rights as never before.
This is not universality’s finest hour. But it can be. In the final 2025 CBC Massey Lecture, Alex Neve lays out his vision for renewing the promise of universal human rights — both at home in Canada and abroad.
About Alex Neve
Alex Neve is a human rights lawyer who served as Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada from 2000 – 2020. He took part in over forty human rights research and advocacy delegations throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, Guantánamo Bay and, closer to home, First Nations communities in Canada. His 2025 CBC Massey Lectures are called Universal: Renewing Human Rights in a Fractured World.
He is a visiting and adjunct professor in international human rights law at the University of Ottawa and Dalhousie University, and a Senior Fellow with the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Alex is an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Who is it for?
All ages
HOW MUCH
Tickets : $27.25+
How to get tickets?
Phone: 1-844-985-2787 (ARTS)
Email: info@nac-cna.ca
WHEN & WHERE
Date: Thursday October 30, 2025 | 7:30 PM
≈ 2 hours · No intermission
Venue & Address
Babs Asper Theatre, 1 Elgin St, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5W1
Wheelchair accessible
Paid Parking
Accessible by Public Transport
