10 Dec 2024

International Human Rights Day – Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now

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Written by Phil Hunt

As the UN says on its website: “human rights can empower individuals and communities to forge a better tomorrow”.  International Humans Rights Day (“IHRD”) is held by the UN every year, helping to highlight human rights issues across the world but also helping individuals understand what they may be able to do on a local level to contribute to the overall good.

IHRD commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (“UDHR”) by the UN in 1948.  The UDHR is a landmark document that established fundamental human rights for all people, regardless of their race, colour, religion, sex, language, or other status.  It is the most translated document in the world, available in 577 languages.  The UDHR serves as the basis for human rights laws and policies around the world.  These are fundamental principles which need to be reinforced regularly and disseminated widely.

The rights enshrined in the UDHR can be roughly divided into three groups:

  1. Civil and political rights - The right to life, liberty, privacy, freedom of expression, freedom from torture, and the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty.
  2. Economic, social, and cultural rights - The right to education, the right to social security, the right to health, the right to adequate housing, and the right to rest and leisure.
  3. Other rights - The right to equality, the right to freedom from discrimination, the right to free movement, the right to asylum, the right to a nationality, the right to participate in government, the right to a desirable job, and the right to join a trade union.

This year’s theme on IHRD is “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now”.  The focus is on how human rights are a pathway to solutions, playing a critical role as a preventative, protective and transformative force for good.  The UN intends to show the tangible impact of human rights by focusing on relevant global issues, showcasing impact, successes and practical solutions.  The UN hopes to “inspire everyone to acknowledge the importance and relevance of human rights, change perceptions by countering negative stereotypes and misconceptions and mobilize action to reinvigorate a global movement for human rights”.

Human rights play a critical role as a preventive, protective and transformative force in addressing people’s greatest concerns:

  • Preventive: By defending human rights, we can prevent harm before it happens.  Human rights are the common thread that binds us all together to foster peace and stability.
  • Protective: By protecting human rights, we protect our future.  Human rights are not abstract ideas. They offer protection, ensuring everyone, everywhere can live in dignity and respect.
  • Transformative: By advancing human rights, we create a fairer world.  Upholding human rights isn’t only about addressing present injustices, it's about reshaping unjust societies and empowering marginalized groups.

It is easy to see human rights as a vague, intangible issue reserved for discussion only at a national or intra national level.  However, by championing human rights on a local level we can help to ensure that the roles played by them outlined above are applied on a day to day, real life level and without being the reserve of grand speeches in big halls. 

But what can be done to celebrate IHRD on a local level?  You might be able to organise an event which touches on issues of human rights.  Every community has human rights advocates working on issues like gender equality, LGTBQ+ rights, houselessness, racial justice, and more.  What better time to honour the hard work, sacrifice and achievements of those advocates than on IHRD.

Or perhaps you could simply spread awareness of the importance of the UDHR and the rights which it enshrines.  And the importance of preventing those rights from being infringed, of protecting those rights and therefore protecting individuals and our future, and of advancing those rights to create a fairer world. 

Our rights, our future, right now.