It was back in 1950 when the UN General Assembly proclaimed Dec. 10 as Human Rights Day.
The aim was to bring international attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.
Fast forward 64 years to this year’s Human Rights Day, which features the slogan, Human Rights 365. This promotes the idea that every day is Human Rights Day.
According to the United Nations, Human Rights 365 “…celebrates the fundamental proposition in the Universal Declaration that each one of us, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights, that human rights belong equally to each of us and bind us together as a global community with the same ideals and values.”
Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, calls on all countries “to honour their obligation to protect human rights every day of the year,” and for the world’s citizens “to hold their governments to account.”
This year also marks the opening of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. This historic happening along with other local events, have put the city in a position of potential leadership in the area of human rights.
So, on this Human Rights Day 2014, CNC decided to ask a number of Winnipeggers what the concept of human rights means to them. Here are some of their answers:
