Event Schedule
6:00 PM CT Reception
6:30 PM CT Program
On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations gathered in Paris to establish The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This milestone document set out for the first time to define fundamental human rights for all people in all nations. To commemorate its 70th anniversary, an international group of scholars and human rights experts assembled in Punta del Este, Uruguay, to prepare the Punta Del Este Declaration on Human Dignity for Everyone Everywhere to remember, reaffirm, and recommit the world to human dignity as the foundational principle of human rights. Author Jane H. Wise compiled Points of Light, a collection of reflections on human dignity illustrated with portraits of people from across the world, in celebration of the renewed declaration. Join us in conversation with Points of Light editor, Brett Scharffs, and photographer, JaLynn Prince, as they discuss this important book and the declarations that inspired it.
The Bill and Barbara Benac Human Dignity and Fairness for All Lecture is an annual series designed to promote human dignity, equality, and civil discourse.
About Brett Scharffs
Brett G. Scharffs is chair and professor of law at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, and director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. In his eighteen-year academic career, Professor Scharffs has written hundreds of articles and book chapters and given scholarly presentations worldwide. He has practiced law with Sullivan & Cromwell and taught at many prestigious U.S. universities including Yale and George Washington, and overseas at the Central European University, the University of Adelaide School of Law, and Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. The professor has organized certificate training programs on religion and the rule of law in Beijing, Vietnam, and Myanmar, and is now developing a masters-level course on Shari’a and Human Rights with two Indonesian universities.
About JaLynn Prince
JaLynn Prince is a renowned international photographer/photojournalist who has worked with world-famous humanitarians and thought leaders. She was mentored by Steve McCurry, best known for his National Geographic photo “Afghan Girl.” Her career has focused on documenting challenges in healthcare, education, poverty, and disaster recovery in underserved nations. She has written and spoken about the issues confronting the families of autistic children and founded the Madison House Autism Foundation. In 2019, she was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record.
In Partnership With
In Celebration of Human Rights Day on December 10