| Human Rights Day | |
|---|---|
 Human Rights Logo, unveiled in New York on 23 September 2011 | |
| Also called | HRD |
| Observed by | UN Members |
| Celebrations | Worldwide |
| Begins | 1948 |
| Date | 10 December |
| Frequency | Annual |
Human Rights Day (HRD) is celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year.
The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations. The formal establishment of Human Rights Day occurred at the 317th Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on 4 December 1950, when the General Assembly declared resolution 423(V), inviting all member states and any other interested organizations to celebrate the day as they saw fit.[1][2]
The day is normally marked both by high-level political conferences and meetings and by cultural events and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues. Besides, it is traditionally on 10 December that the five-yearly United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights and Nobel Peace Prize are awarded. Many governmental and non-governmental organizations active in the human rights field also schedule special events to commemorate the day, as do many civil and social-cause organisations.
- ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 5 Resolution 423(V). A/RES/423(V) 4 December 1950. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (2009). "The History of Human Rights Day". Retrieved 29 October 2009.