Every year on December 10, International Human Rights Day is celebrated. This date marks the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first global document that defined the basic rights and freedoms of every person regardless of their origin, nationality, beliefs, or social status.
After World War II, humanity realized for the first time the scale of the tragedies caused by violations of human dignity, racism, totalitarianism, and mass crimes. That is why the UN member states began working on a universal document that would lay the foundation for a future system of legal protection for human rights.
The result of this work was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed on December 10, 1948. In 1950, the UN General Assembly officially established December 10 as Human Rights Day so that the world would annually remember the importance of human rights and freedoms.
The document consists of 30 articles that define the principles that are now considered universal human values. These include: the right to life, liberty, and security of person; the prohibition of slavery and torture; freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and expression; the right to education, work, and medical care; and the equality of all people regardless of gender, race, language, religion, or opinion.
The Universal Declaration became the basis for many international documents, constitutions, and legal protection systems in various countries around the world.
Over the years, the international community has made considerable efforts to strengthen international law, improve mechanisms for the protection of human rights and freedoms, and combat all forms of discrimination. However, enshrining a particular right in certain documents is far from the end of a long and difficult road. It is important not only to declare a right, but also to ensure its implementation.
By launching armed aggression against Ukraine, Russia violated fundamental norms and principles of international law, a number of bilateral and multilateral treaties, and caused massive violations of human rights and freedoms. And today, in the context of war, we are effectively fighting for the rights enshrined in many international documents. That is why they are of particular importance to each of us. Who, if not Ukrainians, can better understand the true value of rights and freedoms, won through years of struggle, trials, and the pursuit of a dignified life?
In a state of martial law, ensuring the implementation, guaranteeing, and protecting human rights and freedoms is not only an important but also an extremely difficult task for the state. Human rights are not only legal norms, but also the foundation for building a just, peaceful, and progressive society, and adherence to the principles of equality and respect for human dignity is the basis for a secure future.