Human Rights Day
What is Human Rights Day?
Human Rights Day marks the day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was approved by the UN General Assembly in 1948. The UDHR sets out universally protected human rights for every human being and was the first worldwide declaration of rights of its kind. It is also the worlds most translated document, available in over 500 languages.
Human Rights Day serves as a reminder to uphold the rights that protect all humans. The day is celebrated every year on the 10th of December. The theme for 2023 is TBC.
How is Human Rights Day Celebrated?
Events and Campaigns are held globally, including online campaigns with materials and resources being shared. The main purpose is to share the human rights we all have, to mark the importance of them and to call for everyone to protect these rights and act where they can. Many people may be unaware of the universally protected human rights they are entitled to, and others may not be experiencing those rights in their daily lives.
Human Rights Day and Employment
As an Employer, it is important to ensure all employees are working within their human rights, which in the UK is less of a problem than it is globally. Employers as organisations can have the power to put pressure on their supply chains to ensure they are operating ethically too.
Ideas to mark Human Rights Day include:
- Sharing resources including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Encouraging senior leadership to emphasise the importance of human rights or mark the day with a bulletin or talk.
- Providing training on human rights and equality
- Empowering employees to act when they see a violation of human rights
- Introducing anonymous human rights impact assessments, to highlight concerns in the organisation
- Advocating for Human Rights and publicise your organisations position or provide support where there are violations globally, these may be featured on the news.
