Human Rights Day 2020: UN urges nations to 'create equal opportunities for all'; all you need to know

Human Rights Day is celebrated annually on 10 December to commemorate United Nations adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. According to the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a document that proclaims the rights that every human being is entitled to, regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status and is available in more than 500 languages. On the occasion of Human Rights Day, Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres said the COVID-19 pandemic not only has had a disproportionate impact on “vulnerable groups including frontline workers, people with disabilities, older people, women and girls, and minorities,” but has also highlighted that human rights are universal and protect everyone. “On Human Rights Day and every day, let’s resolve to act collectively, with human rights front and centre, to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and build better future for all,” he stated.

The #COVID19 pandemic has reinforced a fundamental truth: human rights violations harm us all.

People and their rights must be front and centre in response and recovery efforts, based on solidarity and cooperation.#StandUp4HumanRights pic.twitter.com/paI5du0bgI

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) December 10, 2020

Theme and significance of Human Rights Day 2020 The theme of Human Rights Day 2020 is Recover Better - Stand Up for Human Rights. This year’s theme is closely associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on the need to build back better by ensuring human rights are central to recovery efforts. According to the UN, common global goals can only be reached if one is able to create equal opportunities for all as well as address failures exposed by COVID-19 and apply human rights standards to tackle intergenerational inequalities, exclusion and discrimination. According to UN Human Rights’ call to action ‘ Stand Up for Human Rights’, the organisation aims to engage the general public, partners and the UN family to facilitate transformative action. Human rights are at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), without which one cannot hope to drive sustainable development. By ending discrimination of any kind, coupled with addressing inequalities, encouraging participation and solidarity and promoting sustainable development can one build back a world that is better, resilient, just and sustainable. A post shared through its official Twitter account UN Women, the UN entity for gender equality and women’s empowerment, read, “The full and equal enjoyment of all #humanrights and fundamental freedoms by women and girls must be recognized as essential for the advancement and empowerment of women, now and after the pandemic.”

The full and equal enjoyment of all #humanrights and fundamental freedoms by women and girls must be recognized as essential for the advancement and empowerment of women, now and after the pandemic.

Say it with us on #HumanRightsDay: pic.twitter.com/yIBnq46rQ4

— UN Women (@UN_Women) December 10, 2020

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“Education is a human right, not a privilege. On #HumanRightsDay and every day, let’s make the #RightToEducation a reality for everyone everywhere,” shared UNESCO.

Education is a human right, not a privilege.

On #HumanRightsDay and every day, let's make the #RightToEducation a reality for everyone everywhere.

Join us & #StandUp4HumanRights: https://t.co/lA2w30v8lr pic.twitter.com/z0bVlN8pDz

— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) December 10, 2020