UPSC Articles
Human Rights Day
Part of: GS Prelims and GS Mains I – Social Issues
In News
- Human Rights Day is celebrated on the 10th December every year to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948.
- The Declaration recognizes that the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of mankind are the foundation of justice, freedom and peace in the world.
- The United Nations’ theme for this year’s Human Rights Day is: “Youth Standing up for Human Rights.”
- The youth will be celebrated as agents of change and encouraged to amplify their voices against racism, hate speech, bullying, discrimination, and fight for climate justice, among other issues.
- Since its inception on the 12th October, 1993, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has endeavoured to promote a culture of human rights.
- The NHRC, like most of the human rights institutions in the world, is a recommendatory body as per the Protection of Human Rights Act passed by Parliament.
- An important initiative of the Commission this year has been that NHRC is proposing to set up a task force to prepare a National Action Plan on Human Rights (NAPHR) comprising the representatives of various Ministries, NGOs, Civil Society and the NHRC among the other stakeholders.
- This plan will help flag the key issues of human rights for the government(s), which would require to be addressed with a targeted approach to improve the human rights situation in the country through a sustained mechanism.
