The UN General Assembly
Ideas for celebrating Human Rights Day by the United Nations Organization:
For Civil Society
Organize campaigns to promote human rights in your region.
Produce a compilation of real-life stories of people who are working to realize
their human rights. Encourage local, national or regional media/ journalists’
associations to organize a competition for the best published article/s on human
rights throughout the year. Hold seminars and/or speaking events that focus
on issues such as the universality of human rights, their relevance in different
religions, or the role of religious communities in the promotion of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Host a film screening and discussion or coordinate
a film festival highlighting one or several human rights. Arrange a poetry reading
evening with locals reading their own poetry relating to human rights, as well
as featuring readings of well-known poets’ writings on human rights. Ask
local artists to create a piece on human rights and organize an exhibit to show
the work. Organize a human rights stand at international/ national/local book
fairs to disseminate materials on human rights. Organize an SMS/text message
campaign encouraging people to read and know the Universal Declaration.
United Nations Human Rights Council logo.
For Governments and Local Authorities
Adopt national and local plans of action for advancing human
rights, including allocating funds for activities such as human rights education.
Ratify human rights treaties that your country is not already party to during
2008. Inaugurate an annual award for national/local human rights defenders.
Organize a day of speakers and activities on human rights – a “festival”
of human rights. Set up a special stand in libraries during the Anniversary
year to highlight available books relating to human rights. Hold a concert featuring
local musicians. UN representatives and human rights activists could speak during
the concert on the theme of human rights. Materials on the Declaration could
be provided to concert-goers. Create cross-sectoral coordinating committees
to work on activities for the Anniversary in different areas.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
approved by the National Assembly of France,
August 26, 1789.
For Business
Join the UN Global Compact during 2008. The Compact asks participating
companies to support and enact 10 principles relating to human rights, labour
standards, the environment and anti-corruption. Develop and implement plans
to uphold labour and human rights standards within your company. Develop human
rights education campaigns within your business for your own employees. Establish
a foundation or give grants for human rights education or similar activities
for the promotion and protection of human rights.
For Media
Highlight human rights situations in your area of coverage.
Set aside a dedicated space once a week or once a month for publishing stories/opinion
articles on human rights. Include a special page on where the statements from
the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and authorities
in your country may be published. Print the Declaration in full in local languages.
Run stories or conduct interviews for Human Rights Day or the Anniversary. Examples
could be an innovative UN or NGO project in the area, or a profile of a prominent
person who has contributed to the protection of human rights locally.
For Schools and Universities
Hold conferences, seminars or training for educators at all
levels on the Universal Declaration and human rights more generally. Inaugurate
an annual national human rights research award. Organize discussion events,
debates, workshops or conferences on human rights during 2008 with experts from
the UN, academia, government, NGOs or the private sector as guest speakers.
Include specific activities on the Declaration in your curriculum. Make use
of the human rights teaching materials available online. Explore the Yearbook
of the United Nations, a rich source of information on those defining years.
Organize an art competition asking students to illustrate articles of the Declaration.
Organize a writing competition on a theme such as “What ‘human rights’
mean to me” or “What human right do I value most?” Winning
entries from writing or art competitions could be featured in an exhibit, offered
for publication in local newspapers or featured on your website. Have students
create a flash animation presentation related to the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. This could focus on knowing/understanding their rights, or could
show what constitutes a violation of one/some of the human rights included in
the Declaration.
