International Human Rights Day is observed every year to commemorate the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations on December 10, 1948. 72 years later on December 10, 2020 the City of Yonkers Commission on Human Rights will join many people from around the globe to celebrate the standard that “All human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms.”
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home — so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. […] Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the
larger world,” said Eleanor Roosevelt.
In 2021, Human Rights must be at the centre of the post COVID-19 world. The COVID-19 crisis has been fueled by deepening poverty, rising inequalities, structural and entrenched discrimination and other gaps in human rights protection. Only measures to close these gaps and advance human rights can ensure we fully recover and build back a world that is better, more resilient, just and
sustainable.
- End discrimination of any kind: Structural discrimination and racism have fueled the COVID-19 crisis. Equality and non-discrimination are core requirements for a post-COVID world.
- Address inequalities: To recover from the crisis, we must also address the inequality pandemic. For that, we need to promote and protect economic, social, and cultural rights. We need a new social contract for a new era.
- Encourage participation and solidarity: We are all in this together. From individuals to governments, from civil society and grass-roots communities to the private sector, everyone has a role in building a
post-COVID world that is better for present and future generations. We need to ensure the voices of the most affected and vulnerable inform the recovery efforts. - Promote sustainable development: We need sustainable development for people and planet. Human Rights, the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement are the cornerstone of a recovery that leaves no one behind.
- To view the Preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, visit, www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
