Human Rights Day

"'Spoken Wikipedia|En-humanrightsday.ogg|2005-12-10

Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on 10 December.

The date was chosen to honour the United Nations
General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights. The commemoration was established in 1950, when the General Assembly invited all states and interested organizations to celebrate the day as they saw fit.

The day is a high point in the calendar of UN headquarters in New York City, United States, and is normally marked by both high-level political conferences and meetings and by cultural events and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues. In addition, it is traditionally on 10 December that the five-yearly United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights are awarded. Many governmental and nongovernmental organizations active in the human rights field also schedule special events to commemorate the day, as do many civil and social-cause organisations.

The theme for 2006 was the struggle against poverty, taking it as a human rights issue. Several [http://www.ohchr.org/english/events/day2006/statements.htm statements] were released on that occasion, including [http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/3C69632CF6A7B815C125723E00635723?OpenDocument the one] issued by 37 United Nations Special Procedures mandate holders

The 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights occurs on December 10, 2008, and the UN secretary-general has launched a year-long campaign to lead up to this anniversary. Because the UDHR holds the world record as the most translated document—with more than 360 language versions available—organizations around the globe will be enabled to use the year to focus on helping people everywhere learn about their rights.

Human Rights

Human Rights day is celebrated to promote the universal human right: to live and to do so peacefully. Some of the world's occupants have this right suppressed [e.g. the right to equality] . This day was declared to raise awareness of human rights and of those who are deprived of these rights.

In India, the Fundamental Rights are as follows:1. The Right to Equality2. The Right to Freedom3. The Right to Freedom of Religion4. The Right against Exploitation5. Cultural and Educational Rights6. The Right to Constitutional Remedies

See the United States' Bill of Rights

Past Observances

1979

*Shih Ming-teh organizes a human rights campaign in Kaoshiung, Taiwan. This will lead to the Kaohsiung Incident characterized by three rounds of arrests and mock trials of political opponents of the ruling Kuomintang party and their subsequent imprisonment.

2004

* International PEN announced the launch of a new campaign to secure the release from prison of "cyber-dissidents" in PR China, Maldives and Vietnam. [cite web
title = A global campaign against Internet censorship and the long-term imprisonment of cyber-dissidents in Asia
publisher = PEN American Center
url = http://www.pen.org/freedom/asia2004.html
accessdate =15 December|accessyear=2006]
* The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the UN's Special Representative for Human Rights Defenders and the African Union's Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights issued a joint communiqué in which they commended the European Union for its recent adoption of a set of guidelines for protecting human rights defenders and urged the world's other regions to take similar steps in that direction. [cite press release
title = On the occasion of Human Rights Day, the UN, Inter-American and African protection mechanisms call on governments to protect human rights defenders.
publisher = Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
date = 10 December 2004
url = http://www.cidh.org/Comunicados/English/2004/27.04.htm
accessdate = 2006-12-15]
* The American Association for the Advancement of Science organised a seminar in New York City on academic freedom in Iraq. [cite web
title = Satellite Imagery for Conflict Prevention and Human Rights: An Event in Honor of Human Rights Day 2006
publisher = The American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science and Human Rights Program
date = 16 June 2006
url = http://shr.aaas.org/hrday/
accessdate =15 December|accessyear=2006]
* Human Rights Day is endorsed by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) as an official day of Humanist celebration.

2006

* In an irony of fate, former Chilean president/dictator Augusto Pinochet, known for human rights violations committed during his authoritarian rule, died of a heart attack on 10 December 2006, at the age of 91.cite web
url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2498310,00.html
title=General Pinochet, 91, dies awaiting trial for murder
author=Catan, Thomas and Crooks, Nathan|year=2006
accessdate=11 December|accessyear=2006
publisher="The Times"]

Date variance

* In South Africa, Human Rights Day is celebrated on 21 March, in remembrance of the Sharpeville massacre. [cite web
title = Human Rights Day
publisher = South African Human Rights Commission
date =
url = http://www.sahrc.org.za/why_celebrate_human_rights_day.htm
accessdate=December 15|accessyear=2006 ]

References

ee also

*International observance

External links

* [http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/ Human Rights Day (UN)]