Here’s another reminder about this new program at the Downieville Library: Spanish at the Library. It happens on Thursdays, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM. The instructor is Laura Ruiz, and she is looking forward to helping people of all ages — but especially children — learn how to read and write and speak Spanish.
Two days ago, December 10, was Human Rights Day, which is celebrated around the world annually on that date. The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation on December 10, 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). That Declaration was the first global enunciation of human rights, and one of the first major accomplishments of the new United Nations. The formal establishment of Human Rights Day occurred on December 4, 1950, when the United Nations General Assembly declared the resolution, inviting all member states and any other interested organizations to celebrate the day as they saw fit.
When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, it was proclaimed as a “common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations”, towards which individuals and societies should “strive by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance”. Today, the general consent of all United Nations Member States on the basic Human Rights laid down in the Declaration makes it even stronger, and emphasizes the relevance of Human Rights in our daily lives.
The theme for the 2024 observance of Human Rights Day is “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now”. On the website of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, the theme is explained in this way: “Human rights can empower individuals and communities to forge a better tomorrow. By embracing and trusting the full power of human rights as the path to the world we want, we can become more peaceful, equal and sustainable. This Human Rights Day we focus on how human rights are a pathway to solutions, playing a critical role as a preventative, protective and transformative force for good….This time, we hope to inspire everyone to acknowledge the importance and relevance of human rights, change perceptions by countering negative stereotypes and misconceptions and mobilize action to reinvigorate a global movement for human rights.”
Here are the rights enumerated in the Declaration: (1) right to equality; (2) freedom from discrimination; (3) right to life, liberty, personal security; (4) freedom from slavery; (5) freedom from torture and degrading treatment; (6) right to recognition as a person before the law; (7) right to equality before the law; (8) right to remedy by competent tribunal; (9) freedom from arbitrary arrest and exile; (10) right to fair public hearing; (11) right to be considered innocent until proven guilty; (12) freedom from interference with privacy, family, home and correspondence; (13) right to free movement in and out of the country; (14) right to asylum in other countries from persecution; (15) right to a nationality and the freedom to change it; (16) right to marriage and family; (17) right to own property; (18) freedom of belief and religion; (19) freedom of opinion and information; (20) right to peaceful assembly and association; (21) right to participate in government and in free elections; (22) right to social security; (23) right to desirable work and to join trade unions; (24) right to rest and leisure; (25) right to adequate living standard; (26) right to education; (27) right to participate in the cultural life of community; (28) right to a social order that articulates this document; (29) community duties essential to free and full development; (30) freedom from state or personal interference in the above rights.
All 193 member states of the United Nations (including the United States) have signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — thus agreeing to abide by its enumerated rights. Not only has the United States adopted the Declaration, but it was written by a committee including representatives from many countries, and led by Eleanor Roosevelt.
Amnesty International says of the Declaration: “The UDHR legacy challenges us to go on the offensive. It demands that we resist the globalised, transnational and localised attacks against rights. But it also tells us this won’t be enough. It asks of us too that we disrupt the building of world orders that reproduce historical privileges and injustices, violate rights and silence defenders; and that we transform global governance by re-imagining, innovating, leading. We can, we must — build bold, visionary leadership, institutions and systems — that can protect our planet, for future generations, and from all that torments us.”