World Gets Ready to Celebrate Human Rights Day

Human Rights Day falls on 10 December every year, the day when, back in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, itself just three years old at the time.

Next year – on 10 December 2018 – the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be celebrated, and this year’s Human Rights Day on Sunday marks the beginning of a year-long 70th anniversary commemoration.

“The universality of rights is being contested across much of the world. It is under broad assault from terrorists, authoritarian leaders and populists who seem only too willing to sacrifice, in varying degrees, the rights of others, for the sake of power. Their combined influence has grown at the expense of liberal democratic order, peace and justice,” said High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

On Sunday 10 December, the High Commissioner will mark Human Rights Day and the launch of the 70th anniversary campaign alongside the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris — the historic site of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the General Assembly on 10 December 1948.

You can visit the Stand Up 4 Human Rights website dedicated to the year-long campaign related to the 70th anniversary of the UDHR.

Specific projects designed to promote the relevance of the Universal Declaration include “Add Your Voice” which aims to promote and disseminate the UDHR in over 100 languages.

An online application allows people to record themselves reading an article of the UDHR in their own language and share it on social media – encouraging others to do the same.