Social Structures – Page 7

Celebrating the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development: A Contribution from the ReCreating Europe Project at Maynooth University

Social Structures

Author: Dr Laura Serra. Postdoctoral researcher ReCreating Europe, ALL Institute – Department of Law, Maynooth University

Laura Serra Profile Picture

Today, 21^st of May is the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. This is a date that we would like to mark within the remit of the ReCreating Europe project, funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 Programme, by raising awareness about cultural diversity. We also wish to take this opportunity to highlight how the project aims to contribute to foster cultural diversity.

According to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which was adopted in 2005 and swiftly ratified by several States around the globe, cultural diversity “refers to the manifold ways in which the cultures of groups and societies find expression”, and “these expressions are passed on within and among groups and societies”. Furthermore, cultural diversity “is made manifest not only through the varied ways in which the cultural heritage of humanity is expressed, augmented and transmitted through the variety of cultural expressions, but also through diverse modes of artistic creation, production, dissemination, distribution and enjoyment, whatever the means and technologies used”.

Towards an Inclusive Creativity: reCreating Europe for World Intellectual Property Day 2021

Authors: Giulia Priora – Postdoctoral researcher, Institute of Law Politics and Development, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies Pis, Caterina Sganga – Associate Professor, Institute of Law Politics and Development, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies Pisa, Arianna Martinelli – Associate Professor, Institute of Economics, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa

Social Structures

ReCreating Europe Logo

Today more than ever, digital technologies are revolutionizing the ways we express our creativity, access culture, information, and knowledge. Technology and, in particular, the Internet have the potential to bring an unprecedented democratization of our practices related to both the production and consumption of music, literature, news, movies, and so many other intellectual and artistic works. However, the reality still presents considerable uncertainties and profound inequalities: among the main obstacles to a sound democratization of creative and cultural processes are the complexity and obsolescence of laws and norms involved, the lack of awareness thereof, and a growing digital divide.

Copyright law is a fundamental building block in this shift towards digital creativity and digital access to culture. By protecting the creators’ exclusive rights to exploit their works and regulating the limits of such protection, copyright law essentially aims at striking a balance between the safeguard of creators and investors, on the one side, and end-users’ interests, on the other. The discipline boasts a long-standing European history, having started interacting and regulating the “offline” creative world over three centuries ago. The entry into the scene of digital technologies represents a significant disruption in the EU and national copyright legal frameworks as well as an opportunity to modernize the law.

Disability and urban accessibility in cities: how can we improve?

Author: Nicola Posteraro, Qualified Italian Lawyer, Post-Doctoral Research fellow in Administrative Law, University of Milan, Qualified as Associate Professor of Administrative Law

Social Structures

According to data compiled by the National Association of Workers with health conditions or impairments (ANMIL), there are cities in Italy where people with disabilities can live their life and exercise their free movement right on an equal basis with others, and other cities that are still very hostile. Accessibility interventions, when undertaken, are often inadequate. This is due to the lack or limitation of public funding available, and to the regulatory fragmentation, which certainly does not help those who have to apply the legal provisions on accessibility. Not all residents are able to have equal access to the services of the city, to participate in municipal decision-making processes and to benefit from the economic growth of the city. This is a problem that negatively impacts on the fundamental right to health of people with disabilities: in fact, being able to access places and public facilities allows mobility and amplifies the network of social relations. While the data above concerns Italy, a similar situation can be found in many other countries.

ALL’s Contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Social Structures

Authors: Kimberly Wright, Postgraduate LLM student Global Legal Studies & Anastasia Campbell, Administrative Lead, ALL Institute

Black and White Picture showing young girl in front of a gate holding a sign saying 'Justice for______________x I left blank because I'll probably need this sign again next year." — Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash

On the 20^thof February, the United Nations World Day of Social Justice gives the world an opportunity to celebrate peace, social inclusion, and respect for human rights. Those values are at the core of the United Nations (UN) action, and, in particular, of the Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), which were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The UN SDGs consist of a total of 17 universal goals adopted by all 193 UN member states aimed at improving and ensuring a sustainable future for all. These goals include poverty, inequality, climate change, peace and justice among various other causes for concern. The Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute’s mission is to ensure that all people around the world, particularly those who have been subject to marginalisation, achieve a good quality of life and full participation in society through the use of appropriate technologies and evidence-based policies and laws. Our research is dedicated to promoting human rights-based and person-centred systems to empower people and enhance social inclusion and involvement.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day: An occasion to look at the international prohibition of genocide

Social Structures

Author: Niccolò Zugliani, Doctoral Candidate at the Law Department of the University of Verona (Italy)

Picture used on the United NAtions Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) webpage
https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/holocaustremembranceday — _{https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/holocaustremembranceday}
_{Copyright Musealia}

The International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is a yearly reminder of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazi regime during World War II. It is also an occasion to pay heed to the existence, even at present times, of potential cases of genocide, despite the international commitments to prevent it and to punish its perpetrators. As such, it offers the opportunity to reflect on the hurdles faced by international criminal justice when confronted with this international crime, and on some avenues recently pursued to avoid impunity.

The World Braille Day: Celebrating the Importance of Braille for the Full Realization of Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Audio Version

The World Braille Day: Celebrating the Importance of Braille for the Full Realization of Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities – in Maynooth University, Ireland.
Voiced by Hilary Hooks.

The World Braille Day: Celebrating the Importance of Braille for the Full Realization of Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Social Structures

Click here for Audio Version

Author: Silvia Favalli, Post-doctoral research fellow in International law – University of Pavia (Italy)

Two hands reading a braille script. — Stock image from: https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/world-braille-day-2021/

Since 2019, World Braille Day celebrates the significance of Braille as a means of communication and a gateway to realize human rights of persons who are blind or partially sighted. This day commemorates the birthday of its inventor, Louis Braille, born in France in 1809.

Braille is a tactile writing and reading system and consists of the representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots. The dot patterns are assigned to each letter and number, but they represent musical, mathematical and scientific symbols as well. It also allows users to develop an understanding of the formal structure of language, such as spacing, formatting and grammar.

Braille has been a key tool for persons who are blind or partially sighted to exercise their rights since it was first developed in the XIX century. In particular, Braille is crucial in the context of education, to allow freedom of expression and opinion and, more broadly, to enhance social inclusion, as reflected in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which focuses on inclusive and equitable quality of education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all.

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