Human Rights Day 2009

Human Rights Day is celebrated annually on December 10 to mark the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted in 1948. In her statement to commemorate the occasion, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay observed:

I would therefore like to encourage people everywhere--politicians, officials, business leaders, civil society, national human rights institutions, the media, religious leaders, teachers, students, and each and every individual--to honor Human Rights Day 2009 by embracing diversity and resolving to take concrete and lasting actions to help put an end to discrimination.

The Declaration was proclaimed through United Nations General Assembly Resolution 217 A (III) and has been translated into more than 300 languages and dialects. The English version is available here, while other versions are available via an online database. A guide to UN Human Rights documentation as well as various related UN databases are also accessible on the UN Human Rights web site.