International Human Rights Day, December 10

2008 marks 60th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations in Paris on December 10, 1948, making this year’s International Human Rights Day the 60th anniversary of the event. Canadian David Humphrey prepared the Declaration’s blueprint and served on the committee headed by Eleanor Roosevelt that drafted it.

Since its declaration, the UDHR has become the most translated document in the world (360 languages) and has provided practical leadership on many fronts. But much remains to be done as the UN struggles with issues such as the sexual exploitation of children and the current fighting in the Congo which has seen summary executions, kidnapping and rape on a daily basis.

To keep human rights on the active agenda for future generations, the UN has developed a special website for school-aged children. In addition, the organization TakingITglobal has a multilingual site that aims to engage youth in a wide variety of issues, including human rights. Both sites are well worth a visit.