Human Rights Day (10 December 2006)

On 10 December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which has become a universal standard for defending and promoting human rights. Every year on 10 December, Human Rights Day marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration. On Human Rights Day it is celebrated around the globe that "All human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms".

This year Human Rights Day focuses on fighting poverty as a matter of obligation, not of charity. Poverty is a cause and a product of human rights violations. It is this double edge that makes poverty probably the gravest human rights challenge in the world. The links between human rights and poverty should be obvious: People whose rights are denied -- victims of discrimination or persecution, for example -- are more likely to be poor. Generally they find it harder or impossible to participate in the labour market and have little or no access to basic services and resources. Meanwhile, the poor in many societies cannot enjoy their rights to education, health and housing simply because they cannot afford them. And poverty affects all human rights: for example, low income can prevent people from accessing education -- an "economic and social" right -- which in turn inhibits their participation in public life -- a "civil and political" right -- and their ability to influence policies affecting them.

Governments and those in a position of authority can, indeed are obliged to, do something about poverty. They have committed to it by overwhelmingly accepting a number of human rights treaties and by signing on to the international consensus to make poverty history, through the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals, as well as most recently the 2005 World Summit Outcome. The realization of human rights - including the fight against poverty -- is a duty, not a mere aspiration.

Source: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

News

Human Rights Day 2006 - Statement by Louise Arbour (10.12.2006)
Human Rights Day 2006 - 13 years of illegal detention in the middle of Europe (8.12.2005)
Council of Europe welcomes the Law Lords decision against the use of evidence obtained by torture (9.12.2005)
High Commissioner for Human Rights says total ban on torture under attack in 'war on terror' (7.12.2005)
Human Rights Day exhibit to open at Palais des Nations in Geneva (7.12.2005)
Human rights vision and promise under considerable strain, says Louise Arbour (10.12.2004)
Human Rights Day, 10 december 2004 (10.12.2004)
Human rights education is a strategy to achieve freedom for all, says High Commissioner for Human Rights (8.12.2004)
Human Rights Day 2004 - A tribute to Human Rights Educators (17.11.2004)
International Human Rights Day sees world support for Arms Trade Treaty (10.12.2003)
USA: More state killing on Human Rights Day (10.12.2003)

Selected learning materials

Study guide on Torture, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (HREA)
A short introduction to torture. It present definitions, key rights at stake, human rights instruments, and protection and assistance agencies. The guide also offer links to the full text of international treaties, and other useful resources on the HREA and University of Minnesota Human Rights Library web sites.

Discovering the UDHR (Amnesty International-USA)
By examining two real cases of human rights abuses students are introduced to the contents and spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).