Embassy of the United States

Special Feature

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY The 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) December 10, 2008

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Sixty years ago, representatives from 16 nations gathered to begin deliberations on a new international bill of rights. The document they produced is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — and it stands as a landmark achievement in the history of human liberty.” — President George W. Bush

PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week, 2008

Secretary Rice Remarks At the 2008 International Human Rights Day Awards Ceremony Secretary Rice Commemorates International Human Rights Day

FACT SHEET: THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS  PDF version

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization English version Korean version (세계인권선언)

UN 60th Anniversary of Declaration of Human Rights Site

COUNTRY REPORTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES (Released on March 11, 2008)

- Republic of Korea (English / Korean) - North Korea (DPRK) (English / Korean) - Full Report - Introduction - Remarks by Secretary Condoleezza Rice (English / Korean) - Remarks by Jonathan Farrar, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor - Human Rights Report Supports Human Rights Activists, Rice Says, Ameica.gov

PHOTO GALLERY

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights For 60 years, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has been a bulwark against oppression and discrimination. It defines a range of human rights in 30 articles. Following are UDHR Articles 11 through 20, with information on U.S. views. “In every region of the world, men and women are working peacefully, and often at great risk to themselves and their families, to secure human rights and fundamental freedoms, to follow their consciences and speak their minds without fear, to choose those who would govern them and to hold their leaders accountable and to achieve equal justice under the law.”  — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, March 11, 2008

E-PUBLICATIONS & USEFUL LINKS

Human Rights in Brief In all civilized nations, attempts are made to define and buttress human rights. The core of the concept is the same everywhere: Human rights are the rights that one has simply because one is human. They are universal and equal. Human rights are also inalienable. They may be suspended, rightly or wrongly, at various places and times, but the idea of inherent rights cannot be taken away. One can no more lose these rights than one can stop being a human being.

eJournal USA: Sixty Years: Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights December 10 is the 60th anniversary of the UN General Assembly's ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"Human Rights" webpage on American.gov Human Rights: Defending Human Dignity

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor U.S. Department of State

Media Awards Put Spotlight on Human Rights, America.gov, 02 December 2008     Anti-apartheid champion Nelson Mandela