Human Rights Day is observed annually on December 10th to commemorate the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document that proclaims the inalienable rights to which every human being is entitled, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status.

History:

Human Rights Day is celebrated worldwide each year on December 10th to mark the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was presented and accepted by the UN General Assembly as a common reference point for safeguarding and promoting human rights without any distinctions based on sex, race, or other factors. Over the past 75 years, every country that belongs to the United Nations Organization has overwhelmingly supported this document’s development.

Theme of the previous years:

1. 2012: ″ My Voice Counts″
2. 2013: “Celebrating twenty years working for your rights”
3. 2014: “Every day is Human Rights Day”
4. 2015: "Our Rights, Our Freedoms, Always"
5. 2016: "Stand up for someone's rights today!"
6. 2017: "Let's stand up for equality, justice and human dignity"
7. 2018: "stand up for the human rights"
8. 2019: “Youth Standing Up for Human Rights”
9. 2020: "Recover Better – Stand Up for Human Rights"
10. 2021: "Equality - Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights"
11. 2022: "Dignity, Freedom and Justice for All"
12. 2023: "Freedom, Equality and Justice for All”

Importance of the day:

Human Rights Day is a reminder that human rights should be upheld and protected everywhere, for everyone. It also offers an opportunity to draw attention to violations on human rights, campaign for their enhancement as well as call for action against breaches and injustices.

Human Rights Day witnesses' various activities being done across the globe, with the goal of advancing human rights education, advocacy, and activism. Among these are conferences, seminars, workshops, film shows, exhibitions of arts and culture performances among others - all organized towards raising awareness about certain human rights matters; empowering individuals in defending their rights; and mobilizing support for human rights defenders and victims of abuses.

Since every year has got a different theme or current issue on Human Rights Day. Lately the themes have covered things like racial justice; gender equality; migrant refugee’s plight; freedom of speech; and how COVID-19 pandemic has affected people’s right’s expressions.

The global community reaffirms its commitment to the principles and values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by celebrating Human Rights Day and calls for action to promote and protect human rights for all people, everywhere. It is a day to celebrate progress, reflect on challenges, and renew our collective commitment to building a world where everyone can enjoy their human rights and live with dignity and respect.