UN Secretary-General: I call on people to hold their governments to account
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has issued a message for Human Rights Day marked annually across the world on December 10. "On Human Rights Day we speak out. We denounce authorities who deny the rights of any person or group. We declare that human rights are for all of us, all the time: whoever we are and wherever we are from; no matter our class, our opinions, our sexual orientation. This is a matter of individual justice, social stability and global progress. The United Nations protects human rights because that is our proud mission - and because when people enjoy their rights, economies flourish and countries are at peace. Violations of human rights are more than personal tragedies. They are alarm bells that may warn of a much bigger crisis. The UN's Human Rights Up Front initiative aims to heed those alarms. We are rallying in response to violations - before they degenerate into mass atrocities or war crimes. Everyone can advance the struggle against injustice, intolerance and extremism. I call on States to honour their obligation to protect human rights every day of the year. I call on people to hold their governments to account. And I call for special protections for the human rights defenders who courageously serve our collective cause. Let us respond to the cries of the exploited, and uphold the right to human dignity for all, reads the message. The UN General Assembly proclaimed 10 December as Human Rights Day in 1950, to bring to the attention ‘of the peoples of the world’ the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. This year’s slogan, Human Rights 365, encompasses the idea that every day is Human Rights Day. It celebrates the fundamental proposition in the Universal Declaration that each one of us, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights, that human rights belong equally to each of us and bind us together as a global community with the same ideals and values.
