60 Years of Human Rights

A human figure seen through a heart-shaped opening in a stone wall. The words "Human Rights" are struck to either side of the lower part of the heart. The year 2008 is engraved above the heart. The issuing country reference "FI", the initial "K" (for artist Tapio Kettunen), and the mint mark appear along the lower rim.

Belgium (BE-08 G1), Italy (IT-08 G1), and Portugal (PT-08 G1) issued a €2 commemorative coin for the same occasion.

Finland is one of the countries that embraced the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights early on as a guiding principle of its domestic and foreign policy. As a Nordic constitutional state with a strong tradition of press freedom, equality and social protection, the country has consistently ratified international human rights instruments and implemented them within its own legal system. The Finnish constitution guarantees a comprehensive catalogue of fundamental rights, and Finnish institutions regularly engage in international bodies to advance and enforce universal rights standards.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948 - a document that, in the wake of the crimes of the Second World War, formulated binding minimum standards for the protection of human dignity for the first time. Its 30 articles cover civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights. On the 60th anniversary of the Declaration, Finland marked this milestone of international law in 2008 with a 2-euro commemorative coin, honouring the enduring commitment to defending these principles worldwide.