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	Human rights are inherent to everyone, everywhere by UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR)   Dec. 2023   The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a milestone in the history of human rights; it was the first time that the international community agreed on a set of common values and recognized that human rights are inherent to everyone, everywhere. That we are all born equal in dignity and rights.   The Declaration recognized that governance oriented toward promoting and protecting human rights is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.   Universal and indivisible, anchored in fundamental values that span every culture, religion and continent, human rights are tools to address the world’s biggest challenges, from the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, to skyrocketing inequalities, gender discrimination, conflict and insecurity, hate speech, disinformation, polarization and so much more.   We need to come together to confront humanity’s many pressing challenges. The potential for human rights to inspire and to help build a better, more equal, just and prosperous world for all remains unrealised.   The 75th anniversary is an opportunity to rejuvenate respect for our shared human rights, to advance the promise of freedom, equality and justice for all.   Volker Turk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:   “Seventy-five years ago, in a world shaken by unprecedented horror, the modern human rights movement took its source from many currents, from many cultures and traditions in the never-ending story of the pursuit for justice, freedom, equality and human dignity.   The great wave of independence movements, which pushed back against foreign domination, colonisation and exploitation. Anti-racist and anti-apartheid struggles, and further back, the struggle to end slavery. The labour movement. Feminism. And most recently, the fight for our lives – for environmental and climate justice.   At a time of existential threat, States from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East conceived, together, a manual for the prevention of destitution, warfare and harm.   Over the past 75 years we have developed many mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights. There is far greater awareness today of human rights values and state responsibilities to realise them.   We have seen the growth of movements that draw on human rights. Among them, movements for the rights of indigenous peoples; Black Lives Matter; #MeToo; and Fridays for Future – to name a few. Young people, in particular, consistently speak in the language of human rights when giving voice to their concerns.   If there was ever a moment to revitalise the hope of human rights for every person, it is now. Join us in rejuvenating the Universal Declaration, demonstrate how it can meet the needs of our time and advance its promise of freedom, equality and justice for all.   In many of my interactions with people, I am asked – given the pervasive conflicts and coups, climate change and other crises taking place in the world – have human rights failed?   No. Human rights have not failed. It is the cynical disregard for human rights, and the failure to respect and heed warnings on human rights that has got us here. The conflicts and crises stalking us today should be wake-up calls for the international community.   A wake-up call that when human rights are violated or sidelined, conflicts erupt. A wake-up call that failure to respect human rights results in instability, suffering, more inequalities and economic crises. A wake-up call that when human rights defenders and the UN Human Rights Office ring alarm bells, you must listen and you must act to prevent violations.   Human rights must be at the centre of governance – not just in of beautiful speeches by high-level officials. They must be in policies and in laws, and guide how these laws and policies are implemented. They must be the common thread, running through all aspects of governance, economy and society.   The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was crafted with lessons drawn from two global wars, the Holocaust, atomic destruction, profound economic devastation, and generations of colonial exploitation, oppression, injustice and bloodshed.   It was conceived as a roadmap to a more stable, more just world. Human rights are inherent to every human being. Leaders who ignore this truth imperil the very people they are meant to serve.   Despite conflicts that may divide us, it’s in the pursuit of peace, justice, and equality that we discover our common ground. Together, we can envision a future where every individual’s rights are safeguarded, conflicts are resolved through dialogue, and peace prevails.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights-75 http://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights-75/human-rights-75-countdown http://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights-75/monthly-themes http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2023/12/global-leaders-must-recommit-principles-human-rights-un-experts http://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/hc-visionstatement-2024.pdf http://www.ohchr.org/en/events/events/2023/human-rights-75-high-level-event http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/documentation Visit the related web page
	The human rights system is under threat: A call to Action by Tirana Hassan Executive Director, Human Rights Watch   We only have to look at the human rights challenges of 2023 to tell us what we need to do differently in 2024. It was a formidable year not only for human rights suppression and wartime atrocities but also for selective government outrage and transactional diplomacy that carried profound costs for the rights of those not in on the deal. Yet amid the gloom, we saw signs of hope showing the possibility of a different path.   Renewed hostilities between Israel and Hamas and in Sudan caused tremendous suffering, as did ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Myanmar, Ethiopia, and the Sahel.   Governments struggled to deal with the hottest year on record and the onslaught of wildfires, drought, and storms that wreaked havoc on millions of people in Bangladesh, Libya, and Canada.   Economic inequality rose around the world, as did anger about the policy decisions that have left many people struggling to survive.   The rights of women and girls and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people faced harsh backlashes in many places, exemplified by the Taliban’s gender persecution in Afghanistan.   The drivers of these human rights crises and their consequences often transcend borders and cannot be solved by governments acting alone. Understanding and responding to these threats needs to be rooted in universal principles of international human rights and the rule of law.   These ideas built on shared human histories agreed upon by nations across all regions 75 years ago in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the basis for all contemporary human rights conventions and treaties.   This foundation is needed now more than ever. But this very system we rely on to protect the human rights of people everywhere is under threat. Every time a government overlooks or rejects these universal and globally accepted principles, someone pays a price – in freedoms and liberties, in their health or livelihood, and at times their lives.   Governments that could play a role in helping to improve human rights frequently adopt double standards in applying the human rights framework, which chips away at trust in the institutions responsible for enforcing and protecting rights.   Governments that are vocal in condemning Israeli government war crimes against civilians in Gaza but silent about Chinese government crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, or demand international prosecution for Russian war crimes in Ukraine while undermining accountability for past US abuses in Afghanistan, weaken the belief in the universality of human rights and the legitimacy of the laws designed to protect them.   In transactional diplomacy, governments disregard the benefits of long-term relationships built on human rights principles to achieve immediate, short-term trade or security gains. When governments pick and choose which obligations to enforce, they perpetuate injustice not only in the present but in the future for those whose rights have been sacrificed – and can embolden abusive governments to extend the reach of their repression. The moral foundation of international human rights demands consistency and steadfastness.   Governments have found it easier to disregard human rights issues in the international arena in part because the international community is not challenging their violations of human rights at home. Across regions, autocrats have worked to erode the independence of key institutions vital for protecting human rights and shrink the space for expressions of dissent with the same end game in mind: to exercise power without constraint.   But just as these threats are interconnected, so too is the power of the human rights framework to deliver on the promise of protecting people’s freedom and dignity, no matter who they are or where they live. The protection of human rights has advanced on multiple fronts.   After three years of diplomatic negotiations and a decade of campaigning by civil society groups, 83 countries adopted a political declaration to better protect civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas during armed conflict. The international pledge is the first to formally address the long-standing practice of warring parties to use aerial bombing, artillery, rockets, and missiles in villages, towns, and cities – the leading cause of civilian casualties in armed conflict around the world.   It goes further than simply urging better compliance with the laws of war by committing its signatories to adopt policies and practices that prevent and address harm. Six of the world’s top eight arms exporters – the United States, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and South Korea – have adopted the declaration, as well as 25 of 31 NATO member states.   A number of countries addressed the rights of long-marginalized communities. After years of civil society pressure, the Japanese parliament passed its first law to protect LGBT people from “unfair discrimination.” Nepal's Supreme Court instructed authorities to recognize same-sex marriages while it considers a case demanding full marriage equality rights.   In Mexico, a civil society coalition persuaded Congress to pass a law establishing full legal capacity and the right to supported decision-making for everyone over 18, benefiting millions of people living with disabilities and older people, while the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that Congress must eliminate federal criminal penalties for abortion, meaning that all federal health facilities should provide abortion care.   The human rights and humanitarian crises have caused some to question the effectiveness of the human rights framework as a model for protection and for positive change – especially in the face of selective government outrage, transactional diplomacy seeking short-term gain, growing transnational repression, and the willingness of autocratic leaders to sacrifice rights to consolidate their power.   But this is no basis for giving up on the human rights framework, which remains the roadmap to building thriving, inclusive societies. Governments should respect, protect, and defend human rights with the urgency, vigor, and persistence needed to confront and address the global and existential challenges that threaten our common humanity.   http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024 Visit the related web page
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