Elyx at the EU Parliament to celebrate human rights

Elyx, the UN’s digital ambassador, has taken a seat at the European Parliament to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). With the support of UNRIC’s French desk, the EU has organized an exhibition of the 30 Elyx drawings from the illustrated version of the UDHR during the European Parliament’s human rights week (19 – 23 November).

The exhibition was inaugurated on 20 November by Vice-President of the EU Parliament, Heidi Hautala, from Finland, in presence of the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

“The European Union’s founding values are inspired by the UDHR and the European Parliament since then has become one of the most committed defenders of these rights inside and outside the continent.”, said Mrs Hautala

“70 years it is a timely moment to reflect on how far we have come and how much farther we still have to go”, she added.

For the Vice-President, who was meeting Elyx for the first time, the UN’s digital ambassador “embodies universality and inclusion. He is neither culturally nor ethnically determined. Elyx transcends all kinds of boundaries which by the miracle of a smile makes itself understood by everyone and everywhere”.

Fabienne Pompey, head of the UNRIC French desk, recalled the long relationship between the French digital artist, Yacine Ait Kaci, creator of Elyx, and the United Nations. “We hope that the EU will adopt Elyx as the UN did four years ago”, she said.

The exhibition will then travel to Paris for an event organized by the Mairie de Paris and to the UN’s Headquarters in New York, with the support of the International organization of Francophonie (OIF).