Human Rights Day has been observed every year on December 10 since 1950. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Over the years, a series of documents and mechanisms have been adopted to ensure the primacy of human rights and to address human rights violations around the world.
This year, Human Rights Day is devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign called "Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights. The campaign revolves around the theme of rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. The two Covenants are legally binding on all States parties. There are 168 States parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and 164 to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The General Assembly adopted the covenants in 1966 and they entered into force in 1976.
To commemorate this date, the President of Mexico spoke at the award ceremony for the National Human Rights Prize. In his remarks, he said that “human rights are a matter of State.”
Click here to learn about the history of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Source: UN
