Human Rights Day celebrated across the globe

Around the world, communities, groups and individuals joined the UN to celebrate Human Rights Day and to kick off a campaign to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Activities were as varied as the countries where they took place: from specially commissioned music in Guatemala to a blind theatre group in Senegal; from a human rights film festival in Pakistan to a human rights debate contest in Madagascar; from a speech by an Eleanor Roosevelt impersonator in New York to a lecture by Roosevelt’s grandson, Ford Roosevelt, in Rwanda.

The UDHR, which turns 70 in 2018, was a milestone in the history of human rights. It was drafted by representatives from different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world. It was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948, and the date has since been celebrated as Human Rights Day.

Other activities included: a special publication and video version of UDHR issues relevant to Peru; a translations of the UDHR into the indigenous languages of Mooré and dioula in Burkina Faso; and a writing competition for journalists and an art competition for children on human rights in Azerbaijan.

The day also made an impact on social media. #HumanRightsDay was the most trending topic in Spanish (#DiadeDerechosHumanos) and the number 3 trending in English worldwide. In addition, Twitter created a special emoji, and Facebook developed a profile frame in honour of Human Rights Day.

In Paris, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein joined the Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to launch the year-long campaign to celebrate the UDHR.

“We must organize, mobilse in defence of human decency, in defence of a better common future and in defense of human rights. The time is now, and the leader you are looking for is – you,” he said at the event.

And UN Secretary-General António Guterres reminded audiences that human rights are relevant to us all, every day and are the foundation for peaceful societies and sustainable development. “I urge people and leaders everywhere to stand up for all human rights – civil, political, economic, social and cultural – and for the values that underpin our hopes for a fairer, safer and better world for all.”

Along with Zeid and Guterres, numerous other high profile politicians, human rights defenders and celebrities lent their voices in the call to stand up for human rights. European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini called on states to do more for human rights.

“[A]lmost seventy years on, we are far from the full respect of these commitments all over the world, and we recognize that all states must do more in this respect,” she said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pointed out how the country is moving toward to the principles enshrined in the Declaration including legislation that provides explicit protection from discrimination and hate crimes.

Other statements and videos of support came from the African Union, Tánaiste and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland Simon Coveney, Chinese President Xi Jinping, UN Development Programme Ambassadors Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Yeoh, Connie Britton, Iker Casillas and novelist Paulo Coelho.

For a more comprehensive list of activities, please check UDHR 70 site.

22 December 2017