| 60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
Universal Declaration of Human Rights — 60th Anniversary
The world’s most translated document was the focus of a year-long campaign to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - December 10, 2008. The theme of the campaign, “Dignity and Justice for All of Us,” reinforces the vision of the Declaration as a commitment to universal dignity and justice and not something that should be viewed as a luxury or a wish-list.
International mobilization in favor of the Declaration
At the World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna (Austria) in June 1993, 171 countries reiterated the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of human rights, and reaffirmed their commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They adopted the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action, which provides the new "framework of planning, dialogue and cooperation", to enable a holistic approach to promoting human rights and involving actors at the local, national and international levels.
Public awareness campaign
Grass-roots movements to encourage entire communities to know, demand and defend their rights are sending a positive and strong message: that people everywhere are adamant that human rights should be respected. At the local level, concerned citizens can approach their congressional or parliamentary representatives and ask their Governments to ratify international human rights treaties if they have yet not done so, and enforce those already ratified.
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