2011 has been a landmark year for human rights activism. Thousands of people took to the streets in Egypt, Tunisia and across the globe demanding change.
In the Middle East and North Africa citizens asked for justice, dignity, equality and participation, often in the face of violence and further repression. Many of them paid with their lives. But their message spread rapidly across the region, thanks in part to social media.
The use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to tell the stories of ordinary people protesting for change indicates an important shift: governments are no longer able to monopolise the flow of information within their country and to the wider world.
For many people, the struggle continues but for others, this year has brought with it the first steps towards a fairer society.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on people to “take strength from the achievements of 2011: new democratic transitions set in motion, new steps to ensure accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity, new and ever-spreading awareness of rights themselves”.
Underscoring the timeless power and global appeal of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he urged governments and individuals to uphold the ideals and aspirations that speak for every culture and every person.
On Human Rights Day – celebrated each year on 10 December, the day on which the Universal Declaration was adopted in 1948 – UNA-UK is paying tribute to ordinary people who have become champions and defenders of human rights, whether they are based in the UK, in Egypt or elsewhere, whether they are campaigning for people in their own communities or those in faraway countries.
UNA-UK’s Executive Director, Phil Mulligan, said “policy-makers in the UK and internationally need to take note of the brave commitment shown by human rights activists around the world in the last year. In many countries, the era of self-serving elites freely abusing the rights of their people appears to be ending. The challenge for the global community is to support the fulfilment of human rights in the darker corners of the world where it is often uncomfortable and difficult to tread.”
Find out what you can do to celebrate Human Rights Day
Click here to access UNA-UK's human rights day teaching materials
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