Today marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the 30th anniversary of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This year’s theme for Human Rights Day is Dignity, Freedom and Justice for all.
This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on December 10, 1948, and outlined, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
The document is translated into 500 languages, making it the most translated document in the world.
Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, human rights have become more recognized and more guaranteed across the globe. The UDHR has since served as the foundation for an expanding system of human rights protection that today focuses also on vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and migrants.
However, the promise of the UDHR, of dignity and equality in rights, has been under a sustained assault in recent years. As the world faces challenges new and ongoing – pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, morally bankrupt global financial system, racism, climate change – the values, and rights enshrined in the UDHR provide guideposts for our collective actions that do not leave anyone behind.
Here are some ways to celebrate Human Rights Day:
- Volunteer at a local human rights organization.
- Donate to a human rights cause.
- Attend a local or virtual Human Rights Day event.
- Host a human rights book club.
- Write a post on your social media about Human Rights Day
- Host a human rights movie night.
- Read about human rights.
Human Rights should be fundamental rights for all, today and everyday celebrate these rights and work to ensure that all are afforded these rights.
