International Day of Human Rights - December 10
21.11.2023 / 08:18 | Aktualizováno: 21.11.2023 / 18:54
Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets out a broad range of fundamental rights and freedoms to which all of us are entitled. It guarantees the rights of every individual everywhere, without distinction based on nationality, place of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, language, or any other status.
Although the Declaration is not a binding document, it inspired more than 60 human rights instruments which together constitute an international standard of human rights. 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.
Human rights are violated in many countries of the world: intimidation of journalists, silencing of human rights defenders, imprisonment for political reasons, and torture of prisoners or carrying out the death penalty. These and many other examples are the reason for the systematic work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic in the field of human rights. The policy of active promotion of the principles of democracy, protection and development of human rights and the rule of law is one of the cornerstones of Czech foreign policy. Czech Foreign Ministry has an instrument for financing called Transition Promotion Programme (TRANS). This programme aims to support democracy and human rights, using the Czech Republic’s experience with the social transition and democratization of the country. Projects within TRANS are implemented in cooperation with Czech civil society organizations and their local partners, underpinning the importance of civil society in democratization processes.
Václav Havel Human Rights Prize is awarded each year by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in partnership with the Czech Government, the Václav Havel Library and the Charta 77 Foundation to reward outstanding civil society action in the defence of human rights in Europe and beyond.
Připravil: Ing. Roman Plevák, Ph.D., Velvyslanectví ČR v Bagdádu