This bi-annual event consists of a keynote by an expert in the field of Human Rights, followed by the presentation of the Max van der Stoel Human Rights Award. The event is dedicated to International Human Rights Day. This is to celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted and proclaimed on December 10th  1948 by the United Nations General Assembly.

The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Conny Rijken, the Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children. Rijken will present the Max van der Stoel Human Rights Lecture entitled: ‘Victimmigration: human trafficking in the context of migration’. Slavery is not a thing of the past. It persists today in various forms around the world. A recent case presented before the criminal court in Zwolle highlights the ongoing issue of slavery and slavery-like practices in Libya. These practices are closely linked to human trafficking and represent grave violations of human rights. The Zwolle case offers hope, showing that perpetrators can be held accountable for such violations.