[WSMDiscuss] International Human Rights Day- December 10, 2017

[Umakant]

Dear FriendsGreetings! On the occasion of theInternational Human Rights Day today, it is time to reiterate once again ourcommitment to ensure All Human Rights for All. State and Non-Sate actors violatinghuman rights in any part of the world must be held accountable or else humanrights would remain only pious words.  Please click on the link given below toread about the significance of this important day. Do give it a widedissemination by forwarding this mail in your circle/network.  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 70 Let’s stand up for equality, justiceand human dignity http://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/ ---------------------  Statement by Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner forHuman Rights, on the occasion of Human Rights Day http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22507&LangID=E “Valuesenshrined in Universal Declaration of Human Rights under assault, must bedefended”.  

“Human Rights Day falls on 10 December every year, the daywhen, back in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the world’smost widely translated* and possibly most influential document – was proclaimedby the United Nations General Assembly, itself just three years old at thetime.” “Thanks to the Universal Declaration, the daily life ofmillions has been improved, untold human suffering has been prevented and thefoundations for a more just world have been laid. While its promise is yet tobe fulfilled, the very fact that it has stood the test of time is testament tothe enduring universality of its perennial values of equality, justice andhuman dignity.”“Next year – on 10 December 2018 – we will celebrate the70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and this year’sHuman Rights Day on Sunday marks the beginning of a year-long 70thanniversary commemoration.”  “It will also, I hope, be a year of intense and profoundreflection on the continuing and vital importance of each and every one of the30 articles contained in this extraordinary document.”  “The Universal Declaration was drawn up by a world woundedby war, the remedy prescribed by States to inoculate their populations againsttheir own worst instincts and omissions. It was drawn up by representatives,and endorsed by leaders, of countries from all continents, who were – to quotefrom the Declaration’s preamble – fully, recently, sorely, aware that ‘disregardand contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which haveoutraged the conscience of mankind.’” “It was drawn up with the memory and knowledge of theHolocaust, and the attitudes and accumulation of policies and practices thatmade it possible, seared on the conscience of those who failed to prevent it.” “It was drawn up to cover not only civil and politicalrights, but also social, economic and cultural rights, in the fullunderstanding that you cannot have development without human rights and youcannot have a full enjoyment of human rights without development – and peaceand security depend on both.” “Today, as World War II and the Holocaust grow distant, thatawareness appears to be evaporating at an alarming rate, and the enormousprogress that has been achieved through progressive enactment of human rightsprinciples, as laid out in the Universal Declaration, is being increasinglyforgotten or wilfully ignored.”  “The universality of rights is being contested across muchof the world. It is under broad assault from terrorists, authoritarian leadersand populists who seem only too willing to sacrifice, in varying degrees, therights of others, for the sake of power.  Their combined influence hasgrown at the expense of liberal democratic order, peace and justice.” “We see mounting cruelties and crimes being perpetrated inconflicts across the world; an antagonistic nationalism on the rise, withsurging levels of racism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination takingroot, even in countries which had grown complacent in the belief these wereproblems of the past, rather than ones that could all too easily re-emerge andreassert themselves.”  “We see measures to end discrimination and promote greaterjustice – some of the fruits of the Universal Declaration and the immense bodyof law and practice it has spawned – starting to be being dismantled by thosewho seek profit from hatred and exploitation. We see a backlash against manyhuman rights advances, including on the rights of women and those of manyminorities, in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe.”  “We see political leaders who openly deny the fundamentaltruth of article 1 of the Universal Declaration which states that ‘All humanbeings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’ Political leaders whodefy their forbears’ promise ‘to promote respect for these rights and freedomsand by progressive measures, national and international, to secure theiruniversal and effective recognition and observance.’”  “The Universal Declaration is a commitment, by all States,that they will protect and promote human rights. It is essential that wecontinue to hold those States to account. But human rights are too important tobe left to States alone – too precious to all of us, and to our children.”  “As we enter the 70th anniversary year of the UniversalDeclaration, it is right that we should honour its achievements and pay tributeto its inspired architects.  At the same time, we should be under noillusions: the legacy of the Universal Declaration is facing threats on manyfronts. If we let our commitment to uphold human rights drift – if we turnaside when they are abused – they will slowly shrivel and die. If that happens,the cost in human life and misery will be immense, and the whole of humanitywill pay a heavy price.” “Ultimately it is up to us, to ‘we the people,’ for whomthis Declaration was written. It is up to me; to you; to everyone in everycity, province and country where there is still space to express thoughts,participate in decisions, raise one's voice. We need to act to promote peace,fight back against discrimination, and to uphold justice.”  “We must organize and mobilise in defence of human decency,in defence of a better common future. We must not stand by, bewildered, as thepost-World War II system of values unravels around us. We must take a robustand determined stand:  by resolutely supporting the human rights ofothers, we also stand up for our own rights and those of generations to come.” --- On Sunday 10 December, the High Commissioner will mark HumanRights Day and the launch of the 70th anniversary campaign alongside the Mayorof Paris, Anne Hidalgo, at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris -- the historic siteof the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by theGeneral Assembly on 10 December 1948. Visit our Human Rights Day andStand Up 4 Human Rights website dedicated to the year-long campaignrelated to the 70th anniversary of the UDHR. See also:UN Human Rights Day webpage Specific projects designed to promote the relevance of theUniversal Declaration include “Add Your Voice” which aims to promote anddisseminate the UDHR in over 100 languages. An online application allows peopleto record themselves reading an article of the UDHR in their own language andshare it on social media – encouraging others to do the same. Recordyourself reading the Declaration and share: “Add Your Voice” To join the thousands of people have already taken the StandUp pledge:
go to: Take the Stand Uppledge * The Universal Declaration of Human Rights holds the worldrecord for the largest number of translations, with the current total standingat over 500 languages. See: The UniversalDeclaration in more than 500 languages.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See also:  Going Blue: BuildingsIlluminated in Blue in Support of Human Rights https://www.hrw.org/blue  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With Regards and InSolidarity Umakant, Ph. D New Delhi 








 My final words of advice to you are educate, agitate and organize; have faith in yourself. With justice on our side I do not see how we can lose our battle. The battle to me is a matter of joy. The battle is in the fullest sense spiritual. There is nothing material or social in it. For ours is a battle not for wealth or for power. It is battle for freedom. It is the battle of reclamation of human personality. 
B.R.Ambedkar
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