World Human Rights Day 2022: Date, History, Theme, Significance & More

World Human Rights Day is celebrated annually on 10 December across the globe. It is celebrated to promote the fundamental rights and dignity of every individual irrespective of his caste, race, nationality.

To know more about the day let us take you to the brief history and importance of this day.

World Human Rights Day History

World Human Rights Day was first celebrated in the year 1948 on December 10. The day was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The day is normally commemorated by both political conferences and cultural events and exhibitions.

The formal inception of Human Rights Day was in the year 1950. After the assembly passed resolution 423 (V), it was decided to invite all States and interested organizations to adopt the 10th of December as World Human Rights Day.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights set out a very broad range of fundamental freedom such as equality and freedom to which all of us are entitled. It guarantees the right to every individual irrespective of caste, creed, race, gender, nationality, birthplace, religion, and color.

When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly it was called a Common platform for the achievement of the people of all every nation. This day gains a lot of popularity. As the Human Rights Day Stamp issued by the United Nations Postal Administration received approximately 200,000 advance stamps.

World Human Rights Day Significance

This day comes with a lot of importance in every individual’s life as it promotes human dignity. It reminds us of peace, equality, and justice. The atrocities of World War II told us how important it was to stop cruelty and make the rights of every individual an international priority. Beating, starvation, and torture were normal at the time of World War II.

For instance, The German Nazi government’s treatment with Jewish people was the most documented and deeply analyzed example of human rights violation during WW2. Rapes of many women during that time, the killing of innocent kids, men and women. These are the horrible incidents that history tells us.

World Human Rights Day Significance/ pinterest.com

Even in today’s modern era, the situation of human rights violations is not much different. For instance, China’s atrocities against Uighur Muslims. They are not even free to practice their religion. The same situation is in Pakistan as the situation of the minority community there is very bad. The forceful conversion of Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians is a common thing that takes place there. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) should take strict actions against these countries.

World Human Rights Day 2022 Theme

This year’s theme for World Human Rights Day is ‘Diginity, Freedom and Justice for all’, last year was ‘EQUALITY- Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights’.

The theme is based on Article 1 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. It means equality and non-discrimination are the principles of the day. Only by practicing a human rights-based approach can a society, a nation, or this whole world can survive.

2030 Agenda: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

In the year 2015, the United Nations General Assembly set up a blueprint for an inclusive and sustainable future, which is known as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a collection of 17 interlinked global goals to fight inclusively for a better and more sustainable future for all. These Sustainable Development Goals are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. That is why it is popularly known as the ‘2030 Agenda’.

Following are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set up by UNGA: