By Beds SU
Thursday, 7 December 2023
This year celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a hugely significant document created in 1948. For the first time in the history of mankind a declaration set out the basic civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all human beings should enjoy.
In the words of the UN, the UDHR,
“enshrines 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.”
Why 10 December?
The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 and has led to the 10 December being such a significant date in the calendar.
The document is available in more than 500 languages and is believed to be the most translated document in the world.
Challenges
Despite the commitment to each other that is at the heart of the UDHR the UN still has concerns about how the global community embraces equality and recently said,
“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.
The year-long Human Rights 75 initiative seeks to shift the needle of understanding and action towards greater knowledge of the universality of the UDHR and the activism associated with it.”
Find out more
If you would like to find out more about Human Rights Day 2023 and the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have a look at the resources below.
United Nations – Human Rights Day
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Article source - un.org