Dec 10, 2014

A Call for Fundamental Dignity: UNPO marks Human Rights 365


Today, 10 December 2014, is Human Rights Day, which commemorates the day, in 1948, when the United Nations General Assembly first adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year’s slogan, Human Rights 365, has been chosen to highlight the idea that human rights are equally applicable on every single day of the year; after today’s commemoration, the fundamental importance of human rights should not be simply forgotten about until next year.

The reach and influence of the Declaration of Human Rights is increasing year on year – the Convention against Torture is now in its 30th year, while the Convention on the Rights of the Child is 25 years old. The founding document of the Universal Declaration, the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, has now existed for longer than half a century. However, this commemoration day must not be self-congratulatory – there is still much work to be done, and Human Rights Day provides the perfect platform for many to speak out against the hardships they still endure.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights has issued a statement to mark the day, which has been running annually since 1950, outlining the central tenet that human rights apply to all humans. He said that human rights “are not a reward for good behaviour, or particular to a certain era or social group. They are the inalienable entitlements of all people, at all times and everywhere, 365 days a year”.

UNPO strongly endorses Human Rights Day and the message that human rights belong equally to each individual and should bind humankind together as a global society. UNPO supports UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call for all states “to honour their obligation to protect human rights every day of the year,” and his plea for all people to continue to hold their governments to account. 

As an organization built on dignity, equality and representation, UNPO welcomes the progress that has been made on human rights since the Universal Declaration was first established. As the High Commissioner notes, many people have gained freedom from the threat of torture, arbitrary imprisonment and the effects of discrimination; but the promise of meaningful human rights for all people seems as remote today as it ever did. Millions of people continue to suffer under dictatorial (and sometimes notionally democratic) regimes that systematically deny them their rights, while millions more suffer from debilitating poverty which is not tackled often enough as a human rights issue.

UNPO members are united by their quest for representation, one of the most basic of human rights. Many of them face daily struggles to gather peacefully, speak openly and live the lives that they would freely choose. UNPO therefore endorses ‘Human Rights 365’ as a necessity. We may not always agree on the scope of human rights, and we may look critically at the ways in which they have been manipulated and abused by governments around the world, but we can always agree that people throughout the world, at every moment, demand dignity and respect. The core of human rights simply dictates that a person living on this earth must be treated like a human being, whoever and wherever they are.

Photo courtesy AlbanGonzalez@flickr