Human Rights Day | Our Everyday Essentials
Human Rights Day marks the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which promised every person the right to fairness, safety and respect. The 2025 theme – Our Everyday Essentials highlights the importance of dignity, solidarity, and everyday choices in upholding human rights.
Volker Türk, UN Human Rights High Commissioner, marking the launch of the 2025 Human Rights Day campaign said
“Inequalities are rising, conflicts are raging, the climate emergency is mounting, and some are creating and trying to deepen divisions within societies and between countries. But we must not give up,” said Türk in his video message marking the 80th anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945.
“We need more solidarity and more human rights to address the current challenges. It is crucial to keep advocating for our fundamental rights,”.
Human Rights become real when we realize that everyday actions — spending time with family, reading the news, walking freely, drinking clean water, or enjoying a meal — are only made possible by human rights in practice.
Human rights are a shared responsibility, upheld not only through laws and policies but also through the everyday choices we make and the actions we take. Türk underlined the enduring value of human rights in a context of escalating uncertainty, issuing a call for empowerment.
“The world is facing wars, mass displacement, escalating hatred, and growing inequalities,” said Türk. “Yet compassion — expressed through inclusive policies and acts of solidarity — can transform lives and bridge divisions. Human rights are a shared project. Our strength lies in standing together.”
As Türk stated, while urging full-scale financial, political, and strategic support, human rights are a powerful force for good — the thread that binds people together in times of instability.
“We need to build on this energy, at a time when disquiet, disenfranchisement, disillusionment, and disarray are spreading across the world.”
“Together, we can build a future where every person, everywhere, can live in dignity and freedom”.
Human rights are ATTAINABLE
They begin with us, in the small, everyday choices we make: treating others with respect, speaking up against unfairness, and listening to those whose voices are often ignored. Everyday choices and voices matter more than you may realize; they build a culture of dignity and fairness around us. But human rights also depend on collective action, when communities, movements, and nations come together to demand justice and equality.
Check out the OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) website for more information and from where the above is drawn. (www.ohchr.org)
A Prayer for Human Rights
Let us pray
O Source of Justice and Compassion, we gather in hope and humility, mindful of the promise that every person is entitled to fairness, safety, and respect. As we face rising inequalities, conflicts, and uncertainty, grant us the courage to stand together and uphold the dignity of all.
Help us to recognize that human rights begin with us—in the small, everyday choices we make: treating others with respect, speaking up against unfairness, and listening to those whose voices are often ignored. May our actions build a culture of dignity and fairness around us.
Empower communities, movements, and nations to unite for justice and equality. Let compassion and solidarity transform lives and bridge divisions. May we never give up on the shared project of human rights, and may we build a future where every person, everywhere, can live in dignity and freedom. May it be so AMEN
All images from OHCHR website
