70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

                Tomorrow the Universal Declaration on Human Rights will complete 70 years old, So this post is a tribute to this very important document. This post is a summary of two articles, the first was published at http://www.standup4humanrights.org/layout/files/proposals/UDHR70-MediaFactSheet.pdf. The second was published at http://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/

                 In 2018, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights will celebrate its 70th anniversary. It remains as relevant today as it was in 1948. To highlight what the UDHR means for people in their everyday lives, UN Human Rights has launched a campaign building on the existing Stand Up for Human Rights campaign. It will culminate on 10 December 2018. Proclaimed by the U.N. General Assembly on 10 December 1948, the declaration was designed to prevent the repetition of the horrific human rights violations that had been committed during the World War II. The UDHR has also spawned many other important international treaties, including the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of  Racial Discrimination; the U.N. Convention Against Torture; the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, etc. 18 treaties and optional protocols advancing human rights have been agreed since 1948. UDHR holds the World Record as the most translated document in the world with 500 languages. 57% of countries have now a national human rights institution. Why does the UDHR matter in 2018? 1) Global multilateral frameworks for peace and human rights are increasingly under threat. 2) Rights to privacy, data and consent are facing new challenges in the internet age. 3) Migrants and refugees: growing global migrant crisis. 4) Democracy: under threat around the world.
                Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December. This year, Human Rights Day marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document that proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being, regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social property, birth or other status. Drafted by representatives of diverse cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the UDHR sets out universal values and a common standard of achievement for all people and all nations. It establishes the equal dignity and worth of every person. Thanks to the declaration, and states' commitments to its principles, the dignity of millions has been uplifted  and the foundation for more just world has been laid. While its promised is yet to be fully realized, the very fact that it has stood the test of time is testasment to the enduring universality of its perennial values of equality, justice and human dignity. The UDHR empowers us all. The principles enshrined in thee declaration are relevant today as they were in 1948. We need to stand up for own rights and those of others. We can take action in our own daily lives, to uphold the rights that protect us all and thereby promote the kinship of all human beings.