How to Celebrate Human Rights Day
Across the world, Human Rights Day is a time for everyone to reflect on how human rights affect their lives and what they can do to exercise their rights everyday. December 10th celebrates the historic day where the United Nations adopted a declaration to promote equal rights after World War II. Through the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), citizens in almost all countries enjoy individual basic rights and fundamental freedoms today.
Human rights can be observed on an international and a national level, so it is important that we look inward and outward today. As an American citizen, I like to use this day to ask myself about how the United States already follows the suggestions of the UDHR and what we can do to improve. Although the UDHR is more than 70 years old, it holds relevance in promoting our rights to our political freedoms and the ability to better our governments. Internationally, the UDHR protects our rights to travel across borders, to have a nationality, and to maintain security through international cooperation.
In order to better understand the UDHR, the United Nations and independent organizations have created videos, articles, and educational resources. If you find any of the resources interesting, the best thing you can do is to share them with a friend. When we help others learn more about the UDHR, we are creating global citizens, who know how to identify and stand up to injustice.
Watch Videos from the UN’s YouTube Channel
Every year, the United Nations uploads videos from many of its branches reflecting on human rights. These videos do not only help us better understand the original text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but they also help us understand our rights in a modern context. Until new videos are published, we can enjoy and learn from the 2019 videos.
Sign the Human Rights Pledge
By signing the Human Rights Pledge, you agree to:
Respecting others’ rights regardless of who they are, and upholding their rights even when you disagree with them.
Understanding that when anyone’s human rights are denied, everyone's rights are undermined.
Raising your voice, taking action, and using your rights to stand up for others’ rights. After signing the pledge, you can use #Standup4humanrights to share the pledge with your friends.
Get Creative
In 2018, America House Kyiv hosted an Arts for Human Rights exhibit. Art, as a form of freedom of expression, helps us shed light on social and political issues. Though an in-person exhibit is not possible this year, you can check out some famous works of art that will help you think about the UDHR throughout history. If you’re feeling creative, you can also create your own artwork or piece of writing to reflect on how you see human rights in your country or around the world.
Volunteer for the United Nations
In-person volunteering has become increasingly difficult, but there are many ways to volunteer online! United Nations organizations are looking for online volunteers with skills in art, writing, and translation. These short-term, online projects are a way that you can dedicate your knowledge to creating materials and programming for the United Nations. Volunteers are especially needed for Covid-19 response projects.
If you are interested in exploring more ways to celebrate human rights, check out this these 6 simple steps on how we can stand up for human right prepared by our friends from Freedom House:
Visit Human Rights Information Centre to get news and updates about human rights in Ukraine.
Go to the Docudays International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival and see some films about human rights in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Find people and groups defending human rights in Ukraine that you can support by visiting this portal.
Volunteer for or support a human rights organization that works on issues you care about.
Share an article or story about a human rights issue (use credible sources only!) on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or somewhere else, and encourage your followers to learn and get engaged.
Talk to your friends and family about human rights, why you think they are important, and what they can do to learn more and get involved.
Vocabulary list:
reflect (v.) - to think deeply about
adopt (v.) - in a legal sense, to formally approved or accept a law
fundamental (adj.) - a basic component or central principle of something
observe (v.) - to notice or look at something
relevance (n.) - connected or important to another topic
undermine (v.) - to lessen the power of something
exhibit (n.) - an arrangement of art for viewing
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bridgette Lang is an undergraduate student studying International Relations at Boston University. On campus, she helps run a collegiate Model United Nations Conference and manages finances for BU College Democrats. In her free time, Bridgette enjoys traveling, trying to learn Spanish, and visiting with her friends and family back home in Pennsylvania.