المجلس العالمي للتسامح والسلام

Why everyday should be Human Rights Day…

By Vanessa Farhat

 

Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on 10 December every year. This date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). As a response to the experiences of the preceding world wars, it was benefiting for all back then, however, our world today is facing serious violations of human rights of various kinds; extremism, fanaticism, hatred, racism, terrorism, … etc.

In 2006, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, talked about poverty describing it as the gravest human rights challenge in the world where she said and I quote: “Combating poverty, deprivation and exclusion is not a matter of charity, and it does not depend on how rich a country is. By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights obligation, the world will have a better chance of abolishing this scourge in our lifetime… Poverty eradication is an achievable goal.” However, 11 years later, there are still many countries striving for life, unable to claim the least of their rights.

To reach a peaceful world might take forever, as the conflicts are increasing by the minute, but there’s always a start line that consists of personal initiatives that can be an essential element in building a future in which love triumphs over hatred, tolerance over revenge, openness over intolerance, and knowledge over ignorance.

Everyone, everywhere, at all times, is entitled to their human rights as they belong to everyone equally and bind us together as a global community with the same ideals and values, this is why everyday should be Human Rights Day.

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