Human Rights Day : Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always

10 December marks Human Rights Day and this year it is devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign by the United Nations for the 50th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966.

In a declaration on behalf of the European Union the High Representative Federica Mogherini stated that "Against the background of the current increasing challenges to human rights and the rule of law, and in the context of a global economic crisis, poverty and ever increasing inequalities, these treaties remain the bedrock of the EU's work on promoting and defending all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and are the vital international legal basis for their universality, indivisibility and interrelatedness."

Mogherini referred to the new Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, which the EU adopted last July, and stated that "this places equal importance on all those rights and engages, through concrete actions, to promote them and ensure their fulfilment for all. Moreover, the EU is as dedicated as ever to assisting civil society organisations and all other actors, in advocating for the protection and respect of human rights, whether civil and political or social, economic and cultural. The EU has a strong record of support for human rights defenders around the world; and the EU itself is a compelling example of the benefits which flow from a vibrant civil society." This strong stance was confirmed during the recently concluded EU NGO Forum, held under the theme Protecting and Promoting Civil Society Space.

The High Representative concluded that on this day "our network of EU delegations and EU Member State Embassies throughout the world, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights Stavros Lambrinidis, and our teams in EU Capitals, join forces to celebrate Human Rights Day, and will continue to advocate, defend and promote human rights in any place in the world where they are under threat."

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