Alberta Human Rights Information Service December 10, 2008
December 10th is International Human Rights Day
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with celebrations being held worldwide. December 10, 1948 was the day on which the Declaration was signed by member nations of the United Nations. A Canadian, John Humphrey, was the primary author of the Declaration. The members of the UN hoped that the horrors of the recently ended war could be avoided if a universal code of human rights governed the behaviour of individuals and countries. Since its adoption in 1948, the Declaration has been a source of inspiration for national and international efforts to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights offers online resources to commemorate this anniversary.
Read the Government of Alberta information bulletin for further information about Human Rights Day.
Events
Albertans are commemorating International Human Rights Day at events intended to raise awareness of the significance of the anniversary and some of the human right issues affecting Albertans. Here are some events that the Commission has been involved with:
- The Commission helped plan the 2008 International Human Rights Day celebration in Calgary. The celebration, held on Monday, December 8th at the John Dutton Theatre, marked the 2008 International Year of Languages and the International Year of Sanitation 2008. Calgary alderman Joe Ceci issued a proclamation marking December 10, 2008 as Human Rights Day. Keynote speaker Manmeet Bhullar, Parliamentary Assistant for Advanced Education and MLA for Calgary-Montrose, spoke about literacy as a human right and about the preservation of heritage languages. Human rights commissioner Beth Bryant brought greetings on behalf of the Commission.
- Commissioner Beth Bryant brought greetings on behalf of the Commission to the participants at the University of Calgary's annual Human Rights Day event on November 25th. This event included a presentation by labour lawyer Yessy Byl, the Alberta Federation of Labour's Temporary Foreign Worker Advocate. A panel discussion on temporary foreign workers in Alberta followed the presentation.
The Commission's Director of Education and Community Services, Cassie Palamar, is participating in a round table discussion called "Putting human rights into practice: Role of education." The roundtable was organized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to mark the 60th anniversary of the UDHR. The Commission participated in the meeting at the request of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
John Humphrey Freedom Award winner: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
On November 27th, 2008, the Commission co-hosted an event with Rights and Democracy (International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development), to recognize and raise awareness of the recipient of this year's John Humphrey Freedom Award, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. Rights and Democracy established the annual John Humphrey Freedom Award in 1992 to honour an organization or individual for their exceptional commitment to the promotion of international human rights and democratic development. Delano Tolley, Commissioner, brought greetings on behalf on the Commission. Read the press release..JPG)
Youth website: 60th UDHR initiative
Understanding the importance of reaching out to youth, the Commission partnered with educators from other human rights commissions across Canada to develop an interactive website to engage young Canadians in learning and dialogue about human rights. The project was undertaken to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Read more about the youth website.
Due to confidentiality concerns, the Commission cannot reply
to complaints of discrimination using the Internet.
Please contact the Commission by telephone or regular mail
if you have a specific complaint.
The Commission will make publications available in accessible multiple formats upon request. Multiple formats provide access for people with disabilities who do not read conventional print.
