The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is the leading UN entity on human rights with a unique mandate to promote and protect all human rights for all people. Under the leadership of the High Commissioner, with a staff of 1,500 working in more than 100 countries, it aims to make human rights a reality in the lives of people everywhere.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.
Human Rights are Universal
The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of international human rights law. This principle, as first emphasized in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, has been reiterated in numerous international human rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions. The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights noted that “All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated.”
The United Nations and Human Rights
The promotion and protection of human rights - civil, cultural, economic, political and social - is a key purpose and guiding principle of the United Nations, which has helped develop a comprehensive body of human rights law and established mechanisms to promote and protect these rights and to assist states in carrying out their responsibilities.
"The climate crisis is the biggest threat to our survival as a species and is already threatening human rights around the world."
- António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and has been?translated into over 500 languages.
About Photography 4 Humanity
Photography 4 Humanity and global collaborator UN Human Rights call on photographers around the world to bring to life the power of human rights. With compelling images that illustrate courage, despair, hope, injustice, compassion, and human rights victories and failures, large and small, this project aims to inspire people to get involved and take a stand for human rights.?Based in Boulder Colorado, Photography 4 Humanity works with an Eminent Jury to help select top images from around the world to be featured in the annual Photography 4 Humanity exhibit presented by the United Nations. For more information visit: Photography4Humanity.com
About Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance
The Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance and collaborator UN Human Rights address climate change as the human rights crisis that leading scientists and human rights advocates, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, have declared it to be. The initiative supports effective, human rights-based implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Since 2022, the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance has worked with Photography 4 Humanity to feature images of people affected by climate change.
Winning image: Ambalakondro, Devastated by Cyclone Freddy - "In the village of Ambalakondro, Cyclone Freddy devastated 90% of the homes, leaving these residents to take refuge beneath a fragment of their roof." (Mananjary, Madagascar - March, 2023) Photo ? UN OCHA/Viviane Rakotoarivony
Photography 4 Humanity calls on photographers around the world to bring to life the power of human rights through their images. Highlighting the most compelling?human rights?imagery - illustrating courage, despair, hope, injustice, compassion?in ways small and large, the photos serve to inspire?people to get involved and take a stand for human rights.
Photography 4 Humanity ?issues a global call to action for amateur and professional photographers alike, to?submit images for an annual competition where the winner, top 10 finalists, and top 20 honorable mentions, have their photographs exhibited by the United Nations.
The global collaborator of Photography 4 Humanity is the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights). UN Human Rights is also a collaborator of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, which is working with Photography 4 Humanity to call upon photographers around the world to capture images of people affected by climate change.
These images depict climate change as a human rights crisis, as women, children, minorities, the poor and marginalized suffer disproportionately as the climate catastrophe escalates.
The exhibit is developed to highlight the work of top photographers through the?Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize Competition,?and to inspire photographers to document the power of human rights around the world.
The exhibit is created and organized by Photography 4 Humanity with the support of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
TOP 10 FINALISTS
Mother of the Mangroves
Sundarban, India
A group of women plants mangroves near the clay embankments of a village in the Sundarbans to protect it from erosion, tidal waves, saline water intrusion, and high-intensity cyclones (June, 2024). Photo/Sudip Maiti
Plastic Fishing
Mumbai, India
Fishers along the Mumbai coast are bringing their boats ashore across plastic waste that has accumulated on the seaside during high tide (June, 2024). Photo/Somenath Mukhopadhyay
The Foot Bath?
Maputo, Mozambique
This picture was taken the day after heavy rains hit Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, in March 2024. More than two meters of rain fell, leaving thousands of people soaked for weeks (March, 2024). Photo/Michela Caserini
Flood in Germany
Blieskastel, Germany
Floods in Saarland, Germany: People help each other with sandbags (May, 2023). Photo/Maximilian Mann
Toxicity 2
Nigeria
Light bulbs are designed with planned obsolescence in mind. Electronics constitute a significant quantity of municipal solid wastes which are discarded after use in open dump sites (May, 2023). Photo/Emeke Obanor
Lifting Houses of Coastal Erosion Victims in Takalar
South Sulawesi, Indonesia
A group of residents worked together to lift a house in Bontokanang Village, Takalar Regency, South Sulawesi. A total of 9 houses were affected by coastal erosion in the area. The erosion of the coastline in Takalar is concrete evidence of the threat (July, 2023). Photo/Arfa Zulkarnain Ramlan
The Lives of the Rohingya are Now Affected by Climate Change
Rohingya refugee camp, Bangladesh
A massive fire broke out in the Rohingya camp, burning down thousands of shelters and killing dozens of refugees. The Rohingya frequently experience fire accidents, causing them to be displaced repeatedly (January, 2024). Photo/Khin Maung Thein
Sustainability in Action
Inle Lake, Myanmar
Plastic waste is polluting Inle Lake. Educating locals, especially the youth, on responsible disposal is crucial. This photo of children cleaning the lake symbolizes hope for a sustainable future. (June, 2024) Photo/Aung Chan Thar
Rescue
Canoas, Brazil
A man is rescued by a helicopter team after being surrounded by water on the roof of his house in Canoas, metropolitan region of Porto Alegre (April, 2024). Photo/Isaac Fontana
Source Life Seeker
Chittagong, Bangladesh
Believing that, in the absence of an afterlife or any discernible purpose to the universe, human beings can create meaning in their own lives by seeking happiness in this life and helping others do the same (February, 2024). Photo/Sumon Das
20 HONORABLE MENTIONS
Louisa Projected on Iceberg
Uummannaq, Greenland
Polar sea ice is steadily thinning and vanishing. Louisa recalls the days when she would return to her family by dogsled each Christmas. Now, the community considers itself fortunate if the ice holds for just two or three months a year, and dogsleds have become a rare sight (March, 2024). Photo/Adam Sébire
The Rohingya are Now Victims of Climate Change
Rohingya camp, Bangladesh
A young Rohingya boy was drinking water from a flooded water pump in the world’s largest refugee camp (August, 2023). Photo/Khin Maung Thein
Invitation to Invade
Lagos, Nigeria
Using metaphorical imagery and inventive lighting to depict the impact of plastic pollution, transforming collected plastic waste into art to evoke emotions, raise awareness, and inspire change (November, 2023). Photo/Adedolapo Boluwatife
Pollution of Abundance
Accra, Ghana
Old Fadama is a mountain in Ghana. Used clothes represent the new transhumance, where people draw their sustenance from the abundance of faraway societies. Changing habits are linked to climate change (September, 2023). Photo/Christian Barbe
Ganga Erosion
Samserganj, India
Residents move dangerously as a stretch of the road is affected due to Ganga erosion. Many houses along the riverbanks have eroded into the river, displacing a large number of people (May, 2023). Photo/Sumit Sanyal
Desert Games
Ye?ilhisar, Turkey
A girl is running in the middle of the desert while a ghost waits for her in a play tent. Years later, our children will be exposed to desert games. We must prevent this. The Desert Games are starting (December, 2023). Photo/Yakup Sayak
NOW WE RISE!
Helsinki, Finland
Environmental protest groups, including Extinction Rebellion, demonstrated in Helsinki on June 25th. Protesters demanded increased action to address climate change (June, 2024). Photo/Ingrid van der Velde
The Burning City
Jharia, Jharkhand, India
The land of Jharia, a region in Jharkhand, India, revolves around open-cast coal mines pulsating like volcanoes. Meanwhile, the coal fires in the area emit substantial amounts of carbon (January, 2024). Photo/Vishal Kumar Singh
Cilo Buzullar?
Hakkari, Turkey
Cilo Mountain, Turkey's second-highest summit at 4,135 meters, is home to the millennia-old Cilo Glaciers in Hakkari, which are now melting due to global warming (May, 2024). Photo/Betül ?im?ek
Makoko Survivors
Nigeria
This image shows a portion of the Makoko community, which has garnered attention as a floating settlement. Makoko exemplifies an innovative approach to living amidst challenging environmental conditions (August, 2024). Photo/Adebote Mayowa
The Death River in the Dog Shape
Jaflong, Bangladesh
The crystal-clear water of the Piyain River, which flows from India through Bangladesh, is dying a slow death because of?uncontrolled stone extracting that is harming and threatening the environment (January, 2024). Photo/M Yousuf Tushar
The Barren Beach
Aboikro beach, Assouinde, C?te d'Ivoire
A mother carries her child on her back as she collects small fish to feed her family on Aboikro Beach. Fishing communities are becoming "climate refugees" as fish become scarcer due to climate change (November, 2024). Photo/Antonio Aragon Renuncio
Walk Through The River of Plastics
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Millions of people in this area of Bangladesh pass daily through this unrecyclable ocean of plastic, which consists of bridges connecting both sides of the Buriganga River (August, 2024). Photo/Jahid Apu
Eco-Grid: A Vision of Sustainable Mobility
Guilin, China
This aerial photo displays a vast array of e-bikes in China, representing the country's ambitious push towards sustainable transportation (April, 2022). Photo/Yi Hui
Water Joy
Uganda
The Just Human International Aid Association, with the support of benefactors as part of the 'A Drop of Hope Project,' opened the 1,066th water well in Uganda. The local people were happy to have access to it (June, 2024). Photo/Cem Genco
Flood in Neyshabour 5
Neyshabour, Iran
Heavy rain and hail on May 15, 2024 caused flooding in the city, blocking roads and streets (May, 2024). Photo/Morteza Aminoroayayi
Life is Changed by Frequent Floods
Guangdong province, China
A man rides a scooter through mud and debris after heavy rainfall flooded Tangxia town in Dongguan, on September 9, 2023 (September, 2023). Photo/Aly Song Yang
Facing the Sandstorm
Samara Refugee Camp, Tindouf, Algeria
When the sandstorm hits, it hits hard. The sky looks dark. We can hear the sounds of things hitting each other or, worse, things falling close to us or on us. It can uproot and blow away our tents (December, 2023). Photo/Mohamed Sleiman Labat
Negative Effects of River Floods
Myintwin Village, Mandalay Division, Myanmar
When the rivers flood, the poor families in the village are in trouble and move toward a safe place. This photo was taken during my visit to that village to provide assistance (July, 2023). Photo/Aung Kyaw Zaw
Wall of Destiny
Odisha, India
A horrible spectacle of a seaside village in Odisha, India with all its deserted houses destroyed by repeated cyclones, looks haunted (May, 2024). Photo/Somenath Mukhopadhyay
This exhibit was launched in December 2024