History
Human Rights Day is celebrated
annually across the world on 10th December every year. The date was chosen to
honor the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10
December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first global
enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new
United Nations. The formal establishment of Human Rights Day occurred at the
317th Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on 4 December 1950, when the
General Assembly declared resolution, inviting all member states and any other interested
organizations to celebrate the day as they saw fit.
History
The formal inception of Human
Rights Day dates from 1950, after the Assembly passed resolution 423 inviting
all States and interested organisations to adopt 10 December of each year as Human
Rights Day. The popularity of the day can be shown by the fact that the
commemorative Human Rights Day stamp issued by the United Nations Postal
Administration in 1952, received approximately 200,000 advance orders.
Although the Declaration with its
broad range of political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights is not a
binding document, it inspired more than 60 human rights instruments which
together constitute an international standard of human rights.
Observations
The day is normally marked both by high-level political conferences and meetings and by cultural events and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues. Besides, it is traditionally on 10th December that the five-yearly United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights and Nobel Peace Prize are awarded. Many governmental and non-governmental organizations active in the human rights field also schedule special events to commemorate the day, as do many civil and social-cause organizations.