June marks the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, a landmark document that paved the way for human rights breakthroughs. To celebrate the occasion, UN Human Rights held a high-level event in Vienna to reflect on progress and revitalize a worldwide consensus on human rights. Thirty years after the Vienna Declaration, the world faces multiple crises, and the commitment to human rights is more important than ever. The two-day event is a key milestone in a year-long initiative to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Unprecedented worldwide protests in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd in the United States, marked a watershed moment in the struggle against police brutality and systemic racism. A year later, UN Human Rights issued the Agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality that offered a way to reverse cultures of denial, dismantle systemic racism and accelerate action. UN Human Rights continues to urge States to adopt a systemic approach to combatting racial discrimination through the adoption of whole-of-government and whole-of-society responses.

According to UN Human Rights, a human rights economy places people and the planet at the heart of economic policies, investment, decisions consumer choices, and business models, with the goal of enhancing the enjoyment of human rights for all. To ensure human rights is at the core of sustainable development, UN Human Rights created the Surge Initiative in response to rising inequalities, the slow implementation of the SDGs and increasing social unrest. The mission is to step up engagement on economic, social, and cultural rights and strengthen the link between human rights and economics.

It 1982, the military regime surrounded the village of Nebaj, where Izabel Lopez Raymundo lived in Guatemala. They set fire to the houses; shot a man; the son trying to protect the family was also shot. The mother, with a baby on her back, was shot close range. The bullet killed the mother but lodged in the baby’s body. A soldier took the baby and placed her in an orphanage. The baby, now grown, is Lopez. She has a scar on her chest where the bullet went in. Lopez told her story during the recent session of the OHCHR Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED).

For the past 5 years, Monique Rodrigues do Prado, a Brazilian lawyer of African descent, has been studying love as a tool for Black emancipation and to imagine a world free from racism and the other legacies of enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism. Inspired by Black feminist authors such as Bell Hooks, Monique's approach it to use “Love as a political, active, daily, guiding and ethical action, capable of overcoming the imagery, aesthetics and language barriers that the patriarchal, colonial, imperial and capitalist model has, unfortunately, affected our experiences.” She adds, "We can no longer tolerate any kind of violation. Former colonial powers need to reckon with their past."

Diego Rafael Osorto’s, clean even brush strokes of paint across a wood sculpture, helped transform his passion for art into a socially responsible business. At a time when unemployment is high, corruption is endemic, and there is plenty of violence, especially gang violence punctuated by extorsion and murder, his decision to stay in Hondoras transformed his life and his community. Through a workshop by ParticiPaz, a joint project by UN Human Rights and UNDP, and funded by UN Peacebuilding Fund, he created a space for community workshops. In this space, they work to fight discrimination against indigenous people, defend their land against encroachment by big business, and fight the delinquency that was slowly poisoning his country’s youth – all the while encouraging young indigenous people to stay in the country.

International Women’s Day recognizes the critical contributions of women human rights defenders and feminist movements, who use the transformative power of digital technology to connect, mobilize, and drive social change, while fighting against the persistent pushback of women’s rights. The digital world offers immense opportunities, but it isn’t immune to the persistent backlash against women’s rights and gender equality including gender-based violence and digital exclusion. “International Women’s Day reminds us of the patriarchal power dynamics, old and new, that hold our world back from fulfilling the rights of all women and girls,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk, "The digital space has yet to undergo a much-needed feminist revolution – and it must."

"You saved me!” It was with this cry that five-year-old Aruna Candé threw himself into the arms of his godmother. Aruna had lived on the streets in Dakar begging since the age of 3 to survive. He was able to return to his village and family in rural Guinea Bissau thanks UN Human Rights West Africa Regional Office. Aruna’s case is not isolated.  In west African countries, many children are taken away from their parents when they are at a very young age, to go and beg in the capitals of neighbouring countries, thus becoming victims of human trafficking.

The hashtags that pepper social media may seem innocuous. UN Human Rights helped #QueremosAObtilia (#WeWantObtilia) go viral, leading to the release of abducted human rights activists.  

“A gender equal world is a more accessible, more free, and more peaceful world,” said Pashtana Dorani. “It is a fascinating world, where men and women have equal pay; a world where girls and boys are not told which colour is for which or told they cannot play sports or do anything.” The efforts of women human rights defenders like Dorani continue to be indispensable for the rights of women and girls. UN Human Rights supports the courageous women demanding an end to discrimination and advocating for legal reforms to ensure their rights and justice.

On Human Rights Day (10 December), UN Human Rights will launch a year-long campaign to promote and recognise the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR 75), which will be celebrated on 10 December 2023. The year-long campaign will showcase the UDHR by focusing on its legacy, relevance and activism using the slogan, “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All.” The UDHR 75 campaign will promote the universality of human rights and empower everyone, especially young people, to stand up for human rights.

The Universal Declaration for Human Rights (UDHR) consists of the fundamental human rights and freedoms to which all of us, everywhere around the world, are entitled. It guarantees our rights without distinction of nationality, place of residence, gender, national or ethnic origin, religion, language, or any other status. This year's Human Rights Day (10 December) launches a year-long campaign to showcase the 75th anniversary of the UDHR by focusing on its legacy, relevance and activism. Join us in promoting the day by sharing digital resources on your social media or learn how to take action.

This year’s OxFID Global Youth Challenge 2022 focused on the advancement of the implementation of the fourth phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education. “People cannot protect, defend, and promote something that they do not fully understand,” said Jean Linis-Dinco, the leader of one of the three winning teams, “It is imperative for young people to come together and understand human rights.” UN Human Rights strives to ensure that the work on human rights education is not only conducted for youth, but also with and by youth.

Indigenous peoples offer us valuable ways to address the global water crisis through their traditional practices, both in terms of the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and the democratic governance of safe drinking water and sanitation. In the worldviews of indigenous peoples, water belongs to everyone and should remain available to all, as a common good. Voicing their concerns, indigenous peoples pointed out numerous challenges on water rights they face that have undermined their access to clean water and proper sanitation, according to a new OHCHR report.

The Compassion House project, funded by the UN Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, helps hundreds of thousands of enslaved people.