Human Rights Day 2021: All about its History, Significance and Theme
Human rights are the universal and basic rights and freedoms that all of us are entitled to. These include the right to life and liberty, right to food, right to education, right to good health, freedom of thought and expression and equality before law. These rights are guaranteed irrespective of the statuses, race, colour, sex, religion, language, opinions or origin. In order to prioritise these fundamental human rights, Human Rights Day is observed everywhere on 10th December.
Theme of Human Rights Day 2021
This year, the theme of Human Rights Day is “Equality, reducing inequalities, advancing human rights.” Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, it is in sync with the Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that says “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
That is how, the theme addresses the importance of equality, inclusion and non-discrimination above all and guarantees that the best way to build a progressive and developed world and to reduce inequalities is to uphold basic human rights for everyone.
History behind Human Rights Day
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was formulated by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10th December, 1948. The motto was that it should be considered as “the common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.”
Since then, the Human Rights Day has been commemorated every year to honour this auspicious event and make individuals and societies collectively aware about their social, cultural, political and physiological rights. This day also motivates them to strive and take significant measures to ensure the welfare of one and all. Universal Declaration of Human Rights happens to be one of the most translated documents in the world that exists in more than 500 languages. In fact, UDHR is the foundation of all international human rights laws.
Significance of Human Rights Day
Every year on the Human Rights Day, the adopting agency, i.e., the United Nations focusses on the issues of inequality, discrimination and exclusion and urges the global nations to create equal opportunities for all their citizens.
In fact, the Human Rights Council comprises of 47 member states elected by the United Nations. They come together to prevent all these prejudices, defend the vulnerable and punish wrongdoers on the grounds of human rights violation. The Human Rights Day has become more significant, especially in the pandemic-stricken world that has created visible gaps in the security of human rights. Such organisations, along with several international laws and treaties try to merge these gaps and in turn contribute to the building of a better and more resilient world.