Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December — the day the
United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). In 1945, the Second World War came to an end. It is estimated that
over 70-85 million people perished. At the time that was just over 3% of
the world’s total population. Devastated by the event, 51 countries
pledged that they would never want a repeat of such mass destruction
ever again. They came together and formed what is now known as The
United Nations. Following their pledge to international peace and
security, they realised the importance of the security of the
individual. Many atrocities had taken place during the war including
mass killings, atomic bombings, torture cases and genocides. In a bid to
never repeat such “barbarous acts which […] outraged the conscience of
mankind”, Eleanor Roosevelt was tasked to chair the Commission on Human
Rights which drafted what became known as the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR).
The UDHR is a milestone document,
which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a
human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language,
political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth
or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most
translated document in the world. The declaration serves as a
foundation for dignity, freedom, justice and peace
There have been other precursors to this 20th-century text, such as the
Magna Carta, which was drafted in 1215, the English Bill of Rights of
1689, the French Declaration on the Rights of Man and Citizen of 1789,
the US Constitution and Bill of Rights of 1791. However, it was
discovered that these texts’ policies ignored women, people of colour,
race, and religion.
When the General Assembly adopted the Declaration, with 48 states in
favor and eight abstentions, it was proclaimed as a "common standard of
achievement for all peoples and all nations", towards which individuals
and societies should "strive by progressive measures, national and
international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and
observance".
Although the Declaration with its broad range of political, civil, social, cultural and economic rights is not a binding document, it inspired more than 60 human rights instruments which together constitute an international standard of human rights. It has helped shape human rights all over the world.
Today the general consent of all United Nations Member States on the basic Human Rights laid down in the Declaration makes it even stronger and emphasizes the relevance of Human Rights in our daily lives.The High Commissioner for Human Rights, as the main United Nations rights official, plays a major role in coordinating efforts for the yearly observation of Human Rights Day.
Although the Declaration with its broad range of political, civil, social, cultural and economic rights is not a binding document, it inspired more than 60 human rights instruments which together constitute an international standard of human rights. It has helped shape human rights all over the world.
Today the general consent of all United Nations Member States on the basic Human Rights laid down in the Declaration makes it even stronger and emphasizes the relevance of Human Rights in our daily lives.The High Commissioner for Human Rights, as the main United Nations rights official, plays a major role in coordinating efforts for the yearly observation of Human Rights Day.
For millions of people, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is
still just a dream.Many people around the world are still denied the
most basic of human rights on a daily basis. Women’s rights are still
repeatedly denied and marginalised throughout
the globe, despite 70 years of the milestone declaration on human
rights. Confronted with widespread gender-based violence, hate and
discrimination, women’s well-being and ability to live full and active
lives in society are being seriously challenged.
Racism, xenophobia and intolerance are still problems prevalent in all
societies, and discriminatory practices are widespread, particularly regarding the
targeting of migrants and refugees.
including in rich countries where men, women and children who have
committed no crime are often held in detention for prolonged periods.
They are frequently discriminated against by landlords, employers and
state-run authorities, and stereotyped and vilified by some political
parties, media organizations and members of the public.
Many other groups face discrimination to
a greater or lesser degree. Some of them are easily definable such as
persons with disabilities, stateless people, gays and lesbians, members
of particular castes and the elderly. Others may span several different
groups and find themselves discriminated against on several different
levels as a result.
Those who are not discriminated against
often find it hard to comprehend the suffering and humiliation that
discrimination imposes on their fellow individual human beings. Nor do
they always understand the deeply corrosive effect it has on society at
large.
The Human Rights Act is currently under attack, as part of its efforts to hide from accountability and make itself
untouchable, the Government has announced it will ‘overhaul’ our Human
Rights Act.
This year, Human Rights Day holds a particular importance given the
acute and diverse impacts on fundamental rights and freedoms globally.
Commemorating the day, allows us a moment to pause and reflect on the
challenges humanity faces and to strengthen our resolve to respect,
honour and support the universal principles recognised in the UDHR.
The theme for Human Rights Day 2022 is “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice
for All”. These principles are valuable touchstones, as we focus on and
seek to address the significant human rights challenges facing the
world. These cover the human rights violations resulting from the active
armed conflicts, civil wars and political instability in countries such
as Ukraine, Ethiopia, The Sahel, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Iran, Myanmar and Haiti, to focus on a few; the increasing number of
authoritarian governments limiting social and political freedoms and
discriminating on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race and
ethnicity; the impacts to millions of workers who are being exploited by
unfair business practices; the global refugee and migration situation,
which the UN has described as creating the “highest levels of
displacement on record”.
World Human Rights Day 2022, and every other World Human Rights Day, is a
day to celebrate the achievements of those who have fought for and
protected human rights. It is also a day to reflect on the future and
work out what needs to be done to make society fairer for everyone.The day inspires everyone to speak up and take action to
end discrimination in all forms, whenever and wherever it happens. This,
in a nutshell, is what World Human Rights Day is all about.Let's take a moment today to highlight that all our struggles are interconnected
In the past few years, the world has seen some of the very critical
times for mankind. People across the globe have witnessed a pandemic,
social and political conflict, climate crisis and so on. Human Rights
play a key role in sustaining such a situation. To overcome all of this,
it requires a collective contribution to rebuild trust and embrace a
shared and comprehensive vision of human rights on the road to a just
and sustainable development. When we fight for climate justice, we fight for social justice and human rights. The climate
crisis is already being recognised as creating direct human rights
consequences, particularly for populations in developing countries and
low-lying territories. Fossil fuel companies continue to exploit and harm communities around the world, putting profit before people and the planet. We should not let them get away with it!
Human Rights Day reminds us all that how undemocratic countries are
snatching away the rights of the innocent and how people are losing
their lives because of injustice and violence. Let us promise to fight
for their betterment.
It’s important to acknowledge that human rights, have rarely been gifted to us through benevolent
leaders. Rather, they have been won after long fought battles and
collective struggle. We need to recognize and pay tribute to human rights defenders the world
over, putting their lives on the line for others, our voice must be
their voice.
As thousands of struggles have proved, human rights are a vital lever in
the quest for equality and social justice. If governments will no
longer protect human rights it will be up to us, the people to keep on
fighting for them and ensure our human right are always upheld.
We all need to stand up for these Rights which are too often under
threat. We need to remind people of the
importance of protecting our Human Rights to ensure that they cannot be
eroded. Lets work to achieve a better life for all. And more importantly, to continue to take a stand for people whose human rights are still not being met across the globe, find a way to use our voices for those who may not have an opportunity to advocate for themselves. At the same time strengthening international law and
justice in order to end impunity, and bring to justice those guilty of
violations of human rights and offer protection to their victims.
Just by giving all the humans their rights, we can surely make this
earth a far better place to live… where there will be peace, happiness
and growth for one and for all. Today and every day we must rise up against injustice and stand with everyone fighting for a more just and equitable world. Warm wishes on Human Rights Day.
