Human Rights Day 2020 falls on December 10. The day is observed each year on the same date ever since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. UDHR is actually a document that states all the rights that humans are entitled to which is regardless of any race, color, religion, sex, language, or any political opinion.

Celebrated Astro Strategist cum Business Astrologer Hirav Shah says, “Human rights are considered as certain basic or natural rights, which are inalienable and essential for the development of human personality. They can also be considered as fundamental rights as they cannot be taken away, not even by the government or legislature. Many scholars argue that human rights are not created by any legislation as they are natural rights and the source of human rights is the acceptance of the worth and dignity of the human person. The American Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and other prominent instruments have incorporated the basics of human rights.”

Human Rights Day 2020

Human Rights Day 2020 theme is “Recover Better – Stand Up for Human Rights”. This year the theme is in sync with the COVID pandemic and it focuses on creating equal opportunities for everyone to address the failures and disappointments we all were exposed to due to COVID -19.

The agenda is to use the day as an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of human rights so as to be able to rebuild the world that we seek, for achieving global solidarity, and to advocate shared humanity across communities. On this day, the aim is to engage the public and the partners of Human Rights as well as the UN family to take transformative action and showcase inspirational practical examples that could contribute to making resilient societies that can recover in a better way.

Human Rights Day History

The Human Rights Day came into force after it was officially adopted at the UN General Assembly on December 4, 1950. It is believed to be the first time that a global document on human rights was outlined. It stated the fundamental rights of humans, which thus needs to be protected across the globe.

Human Rights Day significance

According to the UN website, this year Human Rights Day would hugely resonate with the issues faced due to COVID-19. The UN partners for Human Rights have listed out measures that should be kept in mind to seal the gaps in human rights protection that were fuelled by the COVID crisis this year. There is a list of measures that need to be followed to make our society and in turn the whole world a more resilient and just place.

Hirav Shah says, ‘This year it’s time to…

End discrimination of any kind” – Ending structural discrimination is one of the key needs for ‘building back better’ in a post-pandemic world.
“Address inequalities” – Countries must take steps to protect economic and cultural rights.

Encourage participation and solidarity” – In a post-Covid world, solidarity among people, government agencies, non-profit groups, and individuals is essential.

Promote sustainable development” – Leaving no one behind is at the center of recovery efforts in a post-pandemic world.’

Hirav Shah concludes by saying, “Human rights continue to face serious challenges across the globe. Many prominent human rights defenders are languishing in jails throughout the world. Minority interests are being gradually diminished across all continents. Various national courts have been putting unnecessary restraints on the public leading to the curtailment of its rights. It is in our collective interest that human rights be given widest protection because when any one’s human rights are denied, everyone’s rights are undermined.