One of the most gratifying moments of Trocaire's anniversary year and a real achievement for UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, has been the impending ratification - after 40 long years of negotiation - of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
The text of the declaration was agreed at the last session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in April and it will be ratified on December 10th - the international human rights day.
The declaration opens the way for international mechanisms to be put in place which will limit government actions against human rights defenders. Over the past 15 years, there has been an alarming increase in the harassment, torture and assassination of human rights workers including Trocaire partners - 180 were killed in El Salvador alone in the 1980s.
During that time, the world has also witnessed the phenomenon of impunity, where criminals involved in death squads and genocidal regimes in Latin America, Central Africa and Asia were allowed to walk free.
No more. The scandal of impunity is on the way out. Last June, world leaders agreed to set up an International Criminal Court. The absence of justice is frequently the main reason for the absence of peace.
By ensuring that criminals do not get away with their crimes, victims can get on with the essential task of re-building their shattered lives and countries.
If we are truly to break with the past, we must ensure that every human being accepts human rights are their "birth rights". The only weapon that we need to fight abuse of those rights is one instrument - the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Promotion of and respect for the declaration, which was written in 1948 and is still relevant in 1998 and beyond, is the only defence system the world should invest in.
Justin Kilcullen is director of Trocaire