UN Reminds Us Of Our Rights This 2017

Are you aware of your rights? Yet another big question that some people face when asked.

Last December 10, 2017, the United Nations commenced a year-long campaign for human rights in reference to the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The campaign calls to honor the 70^th anniversary of the proclamation in 2018.

Apart from this year-long campaign commencement, UNESCO pushes for global citizenship education. They also launched Global Education Monitoring Report on Youth to give emphasis on youth’s right to education.

In reference to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report this year also released some infographics via UNESCO’s website:

More of such can be accessed through their website or searching for the hashtags stipulated.

In case you’re missing out on your rights, here’s a poster from the United Nations to sum everything up:

The United Nations gives emphasis to these inalienable rights which entitles everyone as human beings regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, opinion, birth status, and the list goes on.

Being universal, the document is available in more than 500 languages which makes it the most translated in the world.

In 1949, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the drafting committee of the document and said:

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home -- so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world… Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."

The document was promoted and put into action by UNESCO since then. They spearhead campaigns then and now. The official date for Human Rights Day is December 10 of each year.

Meanwhile, from an online campaign which you can access at standup4humanrights.org, one can pledge for the following:

• I will respect your rights regardless of who you are. I will uphold your rights even when I disagree with you.
• When anyone’s human rights are denied, everyone’s rights are undermined, so I will STAND UP.
• I will raise my voice. I will take action. I will use my rights to stand up for your rights.

As of December 12, 2017, at 4:44 PM, there are 12,701 people who have stood up for human rights online.

Aside from pledging, what else do you think you can do to help?

“Know your worth”, as a cliché goes. We are all at risk. Human rights are basically everyone’s- you, me, and them.

So, will you take the pledge? Would you promote equality, justice, and human dignity for everyone living in this unpredictable world?