“The United Nations. Eleven architects. Thirty eight floors. Sixty members, half speaking Spanish. And a lot of problems!” The opening words of “How the Universal Declaration was won”, a 20 minute play written for six actors and audience to mark the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. It imagines Eleanor Roosevelt (USA), Rene Cassin (France), Charles Malik (Lebanon) and P C Chang (China), the close-knit group on the Declaration’s drafting committee, meeting up by chance in the new United Nations building in June, 1954 to hear the first ringing of the Japanese Peace Bell. Together with Dr John Humphrey, Director of the UN Human Rights Division, they share their thoughts,   “John Dulles says that the Declaration we put together was America’s Sermon on the Mount - and then aims it at the Soviets” and sometimes question each other:   “I listened to you speak at a public meeting, Mrs Roosevelt. They came to hear your voice but they heard a speech written by the State Dept, 99% devoted to attacking the Soviets.” At the time of their meeting, paranoia and inaction at the UN are rife   “This mad rush by Senator McCarthy to accuse people in government of communism has forced us into searching for reds under every bed ” And they recollect the challenges they faced together in 1948.   “...and then suddenly the Brazilians said the wording should be created in the image of and likeness of God, we are endowed with reason and conscience.” “Everybody talked of Rights. At the start, we did think we should add duties. That’s why some likened the Declaration to the Ten Commandments.” A janitor plays the Common Man who knows everything; what happened 1948 and in 1954 and what the future holds which he shares with them sparingly. But even he can be surprised as when reminded that the first country to vote for the Declaration was Burma. Was it true? The play ends with the historic and tense vote in the Palais de Chaillot in Paris. Here, the audience play the roles of the voting states in UN General Assembly Resolution 217 (III) on an ‘International Bill of Human Rights’. The final ninety seconds of the play are accompanied by an audio track simulating the great assembly hall. It can be performed or read through by civil society groups and is an ideal partner for discussion on this important issue. The play was first performed at a concert to mark the anniversary, held in London on 4 July 2008. It was written by David Wardrop and John Peters of the Westminster (UK) branch of the United Nations Association. See www.unawestminster.org.uk.   The package can be obtained by e-mail on a single Zip File which comprises:   The Play, complete with synopsis, director’s guidance notes and character guides, pdf Unique reproduction of the Declaration, taken from the 1948 Year Book, showing other critical decisions taken by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, pdf Photo: Eleanor Roosevelt holding the Universal Declaration, high resolution jpeg Graphics for use in final scene, suitable for large scale print, pdf Audience Voting Guidance, pdf Audience voting cards for all countries, pdf Audio clip for final 90 seconds, MP3 file   What next? 1] e-mail info@unawestminster.org.uk requesting the zip file and invoice 2] Indicate in your e-mail   a) the identity of the organisation that will use the file   b) that it will not be passed to other organisations. Rather, please encourage them to follow you. We will trust you. 3] We send you the Zip File and you get started. 4] You print the invoice and mail it with payment for £12; US$20; Can$20 to the address in your own country indicated on the invoice.   For further information, contact info@unawestminster.org.uk UNA Westminster 61 Sedlescombe Road London SW6 1RE UK +44 (0) 20 7385 6738       design and build by petax.co.uk