Issue: Universal Declaration of Human Rights

In 1948, when the atrocities from the time of World War II became known and named, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration contains a preamble and 30 articles that enumerate basic human rights that every human being is entitled to enjoy. Here's just a sampling of the rights that are set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

* The right to life, liberty, and security of person.

* The right to a nationality.

* The right to be equal before the law and not experience discrimination in the protections afforded by the law.

* The right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

* The right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

* The right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of him/herself and of his/her family.

* The right to education.

You can read the full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights here, or watch a really cool video with an animation sequence for each article here. (The film is totally worth the 20 minutes it takes to watch it.)

The year 2008 is the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration, so there have been a number of movements to spread the word about the Declaration and encourage people to get involved (personally and politically) in ensuring that their own life incorporates these principles of human dignity and human rights. Here are two websites that I recommend for learning more about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

1) Every Human Has Rights. This campaign is sponsored by The Elders, an organization I've only recently learned about but that really gets my heart palpitating. (The video at the beginning of this blog post is from The Elders.) The Elders is a council of--well, of some of my greatest heroes, actually. Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel, Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, Muhammad Yunus, Aung San Suu Kyi, and others. The council has come together with the idea that if our world is a village, we need people with experience and commitment and compassion (a council of Elders) to share with us the value of their experience. So you can click here to get messages from The Elders, and here to get involved with the Every Human Has Rights campaign.

2) Protect the Human with Amnesty International. Seriously, take some time to check out this website. The Film, Music and More section is really great, with some fascinating films and book resources--too many for me to link all of them here, but go take a look. If you go to the Take a Stand section, you can quickly send letters and sign petitions on issues like Darfur, violence against women, political prisoners, and more.



"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 map of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person: the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works."
--Eleanor Roosevelt