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Human Rights Day 2022: History, theme, significance and 10 powerful quotes

Human Rights Day 2022: On December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This was the first written document to outline that all human beings' fundamental rights need to be protected universally. December 10 every year is therefore celebrated as Human Rights Day.

  • Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All - this is the theme of World Human Rights Day 2022
  • On December 10, 2023, the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be celebrated
  • From Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela to Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai today, several leaders have spoken on the importance of rights

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Human Rights Day 2022: History, theme, significance and 10 powerful quotes

Human Rights Day: On December 10 every year, Human Rights Day is celebrated across the world - the day the UN General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  This was the first-ever global document on human rights that pointed out that the fundamental rights of ALL human beings need to be protected universally. The United Nations, on its website, mentions that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a "milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."

Human Rights Day 2022: Theme and significance

Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All - this is the theme of World Human Rights Day 2022. On December 10, 2023, the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be celebrated. So this year, the United Nations is launching a year-long programme "to showcase the UDHR by focusing on its legacy, relevance and activism." As the importance of human rights for all gains greater significance, the UN says that its year-long campaign "seeks to shift the needle of understanding and action towards a greater knowledge of the universality of the UDHR and the activism associated with it."

Human Rights Day 2022: Inspirational quotes

1) “A right delayed is a right denied.” – Martin Luther King Jr, African-American civil rights activist

2) “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.” –  Nelson Mandela, South African civil rights activist

3) "Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free". – The 14th Dalai Lama

4) “You cannot kill the truth. You cannot kill justice. You cannot kill what we are fighting for.” –  Jean Dominique, Haitian democracy activist

5) “My silence has not protected me. Your silence will not protect you.” – Audre Lorde, poet, feminist, civil rights activist

6) "Activism works. So what I’m telling you to do now is to act. Because no one is too small to make a difference.” – Greta Thunberg, Swedish environmental activist

7) "Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani education activist

8) “A political struggle that does not have women at the heart of it, above it, below it, and within it is no struggle at all.” – Arundhati Roy, Indian author

9) “Freedom is never granted; it is won. Justice is never given; it is exacted.” –  A. Philip Randolph, African-American civil rights campaigner

10) “Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, Don't give up the fight.” – Bob Marley, Jamaican singer