Adler University recognizes Friday, December 10th as Human Rights Day. Officially recognized by the United Nations, Human Rights Day is observed annually and commemorates the day in 1948 in which the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Drafting Committee for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights included Eleanor Roosevelt (United States), P.C. Chang (Republic of China), Charles Malik (Lebanon), William Roy Hodgson (Australia), Hernán Santa Cruz (Chile), René Cassin (France), Alexander E. Bogomolov (Soviet Union), Charles Dukes, 1st Baron Dukeston (United Kingdom), and John Peters Humphrey (Canada). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in December 1948, was largely the work of Eleanor Roosevelt while in her role as chair of the U.N. commission responsible for writing it. As noted by many, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights fulfills Western constructs and has been criticized and even adapted to fit other cultures.
Human Rights Day was first officially celebrated in 1950. The theme for 2021 is EQUALITY – Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights. This year’s Human Rights Day theme related to ‘Equality’ in Article 1 of the UDHR – “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” The principles of equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of human rights. Equality is aligned with the 2030 Agenda and the UN approach set out in the document, Shared Framework on Leaving No One Behind: Equality and Non-Discrimination at the Heart of Sustainable Development. This includes addressing and finding solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination that have affected the most vulnerable people in societies, including women and girls, indigenous peoples, people of African descent, LGBTQ+ people, migrants, and people with disabilities, among others.
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