The Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 75
10 December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world's most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 and sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
Available in more than 500 languages, it is the in the world.
A year-long initiative focusing on universality, progress and engagement, will culminate in a high-level event in December 2023, which will announce global pledges and ideas for a vision for the future of human rights.
2023 Observance
Theme: Freedom, Equality and Justice for All
In the decades since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, human rights have become more recognised and more guaranteed across the globe. The UDHR has since served as the foundation for an expanding system of human rights protection that today focuses also on vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and migrants.
However, the promise of the UDHR, of dignity and equality in rights, has been under a sustained assault in recent years. As the world faces challenges new and ongoing – pandemics, conflicts, exploding inequalities, morally bankrupt global financial system, racism, climate change – the values, and rights enshrined in the UDHR provide guideposts for our collective actions that do not leave anyone behind.
The year-long seeks to shift the needle of understanding and action towards greater knowledge of the universality of the UDHR and the activism associated with it.
#StandUp4HumanRights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights.
The UDHR enshrines the rights of all human beings.
From the right to education to equal pay, UDHR established for the first time the indivisible and inalienable rights of all humanity.
As a “common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations”, the UDHR is a global blueprint for international, national, and local laws and policies and a bedrock of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development explicitly recognizes it is grounded in UDHR and has to be implemented in a manner that realizes human rights.
The UDHR has inspired many struggles for stronger human rights protection and helped them to be more recognized.
In the (nearly) 75 years since the proclamation of the UDHR, human rights have advanced. However, progress does not mean the fight for rights and equality ever ends.
Whenever and wherever humanity's values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk. The solutions to today’s greatest crises are rooted in human rights.
Rights violations reverberate across borders and across generations. These can be, must be, collectively overcome.
We need to stand up for our rights and those of others.
The UDHR calls upon everybody to stand up for human rights. We all have a role to play.
We need an economy that invests in human rights and works for everyone.
We need to renew the social contract between Governments and their people and within societies, so as to rebuild trust and embrace a shared and comprehensive vision of human rights on the road to a just and sustainable development.
Youth and Human Rights 75 initiative
Given that young people face particular challenges in exercising their rights, while often being at the forefront of human rights activism, youth engagement is a key component of the initiative. To ensure such engagement, OHCHR established a Youth Advisory Group, which participates in the design, implementation and follow-up of Human Rights 75 activities.
Messages
UN Secretary-General
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
The iconic opening sentence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is as important today as it was when it was adopted 75 years ago.
The Universal Declaration is a roadmap, helping to end wars, heal divisions and promote lives of peace and dignity for all.
But the world is losing its way. Conflicts are raging. Poverty and hunger are increasing. Inequalities are deepening. The climate crisis is a human rights crisis that is hitting the most vulnerable hardest.
Authoritarianism is on the rise.
Civic space is shrinking and the media is under attack from all sides.
Gender equality remains a distant dream and women’s reproductive rights are being rolled back.
Today, it is more important than ever to promote and respect all human rights – social, cultural, economic, civil and political – which protect us all.
The Universal Declaration shows the way to common values and approaches that can help resolve tensions and create the security and stability our world craves.
As we work to update global frameworks and make them more effective in the 21st century, human rights must have a unique and central role.
I call on Member States to use this 75th anniversary, and the Summit of the Future next year, to strengthen their commitment to the timeless values of the Universal Declaration.
And on Human Rights Day, I urge people around the world to promote and respect human rights, every day, for everyone, everywhere.
António Guterres
The Universal Declaration shows the way to common values and approaches that can help resolve tensions and create the security and stability our world craves.
António Guterres
Additional Messages
Events
High-level and regional events
11-12 December
with regional hubs connected in Panama, Nairobi and Bangkok. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk will make opening remarks. The event is accessible to all with international sign interpretation and real-time captioning in English provided. A Human Rights 75 Virtual Conference Centre is being built to welcome 3,000 online participants. via the Human Rights 75 Virtual Conference Centre.
5-6 June
High-level event in Vienna, focusing on universality and solidarity, technology and shaping the future with human rights reinforced as a solution for global challenges.
Regional events
In September and October, took place in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Cairo, Brussels and Santiago.
New York
12 December
Members of the Third Committee of the General Assembly will recommit to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by signing copies of the Declaration.
15 December
Awards ceremony in the UN General Assembly Hall for the winners of the 2023 United Nations Human Rights Prize.
16 December
Concert at Carnegie Hall, featuring the world premiere of Everyone, Everywhere by composer Daron Hagan, which weaves passages from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the words of human rights luminaries Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Eleanor Roosevelt, and others. Hagen’s cantata is paired with Ralph Vaughan-Williams’s impassioned Dona Nobis Pacem in an evening of music that brings the world we seek into view. Introduction by High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. on Everyone, Everywhere.
Participate
- Make your voice heard by participating in the .
- Spread the word by on social media.
- Participate in OHCHR’s Human Rights 75 Film Tour.
- Express for the human rights declaration article that most clearly reflects your priority for the future.
- Help us push leaders to take action and mobilize a global movement by joining our social media campaign and #Act4RightsNow #HumanRights75. Communication assets are available on OHCHR’s dedicated , which includes posters, photo filters, virtual exhibit and other materials.
- Get inspired through OHCHR’s and discover the stories of those who fought for human rights throughout history until today.
- Find more ideas in the Human Rights Day toolkit.