Held on 10 December every year, Human Rights Day celebrates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This year marks the 66th anniversary of this historic occasion, presenting a useful opportunity to reflect upon the legacy of the UDHR as well as the challenges facing human rights here in the UK.
With this in mind, UNA-UK and a number of other NGOs have launched a petition calling for political parties to “champion human rights” as useful tools which both protect the vulnerable and empower individuals to hold the state to account. Whilst the UK should be praised for the role it has played in shaping the global human rights system, there are serious concerns that it’s not living up to the standards it has met.
Click here to find out more and sign the petition.
The UK has long been at the forefront of the development of human rights, from the “landmark Magna Carta to helping draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. UNA-UK has produced a briefing which highlights this role, sets out the international framework of human rights, busts common myths and illustrates practical examples of human rights in action.
Click here to read UNA-UK’s briefing, “Safeguarding human rights at home”.
UNA-UK also joined civil society leaders in signing a joint letter published in the Telegraph hailing the UDHR as a “Magna Carta for all humanity”. The letter states that the UK’s Human Rights Act seeks to “deliver the promise of the UDHR in Britain; the promise that each person’s equal dignity and worth is respected”.
Click here to read the letter.
The UN’s own celebrations - “Human Rights 365” - commemorates the impact that human rights have on the lives of people across the globe every single day. The campaign reinforces the fundamental proposition of the UDHR that “each one of us, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights”.
