The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu attended and addressed the Human Rights Day celebration, organized by the National Human Rights Commission, in New Delhi today (December 10, 2022).
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that it is an important occasion for the whole of humankind, as it was on this day in 1948 that the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
She noted that the text of the UDHR has been translated into more than 500 languages, which makes it the most translated document in history.
She said that still when we consider the sad developments that keep taking place in many parts of the world, we wonder if the declaration has been read at all in some of those languages. The fact remains that human rights are a work in progress around the world.
The President said that in India, we can take solace in the fact that the National Human Rights Commission has been making the best possible efforts to spread awareness about them.
Now in its 30th year, the NHRC has done a commendable job of protecting as well as promoting human rights. It also participates in various global forums for human rights. India is proud of the fact that its work has been appreciated internationally.
The President noted that today is the beginning of the worldwide, year-long celebrations of the 75 years of the UDHR. And the United Nations has chosen ‘Dignity, Freedom and Justice for All’ as the theme of the year 2022.
She said that over the past few years, the world has suffered from a high number of natural disasters caused by unusual weather patterns. Climate change is knocking on the doors.
People in the poorer nations are going to pay a heavier price for the degradation of our environment. We must consider the environmental dimension of justice now.