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Take a closer look at some of the events and stories taking place across the world to celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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UNA-USA members at the Leadership Summit in Washington DC in June 2017.

UNA - USA to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights throughout 2018

23 April 2018

The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA - USA) will be promoting the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) all throughout its chapters until the end of 2018.

This decision comes after UNA-USA and the UN Human Rights Office collaborated on the “Stand Up” campaign in 2017. At the time, UN Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights, Andrew Gilmour, opened the Leadership Summit in Washington DC.

Since then, several UNA-USA chapters across the country have put together events to advance human rights. To name a few, the UNA Chicago Chapter organized a United Nations Day Annual Reception and Fundraiser in October 2017 and the UNA Kentucky Chapter coordinated a Human Trafficking Forum in December last year.

On February 23rd 2018, UNA-USA held the Global Engagement Summit in New York, with over 1,500 of its members coming to the United Nations headquarters to support its mission for human rights. The highlights of the event included a “Stand Up for Human Rights Panel” and the presence of Eleanor Roosevelt’s granddaughter, Perrin Ireland.

In the lead up to next Human Rights Day to be held on 10 December, UNA-USA is organizing its Leaderhsip Summit in Washington DC on 10-12 June. The Summit will equip UNA-USA advocates with tools to promote, engage and reflect on the UDHR. Along the anniversary campaign framework, various activities are also planned:

Promote: UNA-USA will invite a select group of college-level UNA-USA members for a human rights awareness advocacy training to take place one day before the launch of the 2018 Leadership Summit program. This training will reinforce awareness on both the messages and the “Stand Up” partnership with the objective of sharing best practices on the organization of successful human rights programming and advocacy.

Engage: UNA-USA will provide all Leadership Summit participants with copies of the UDHR 70th Anniversary edition for them to bring to Capitol Hill for a series of bipartisan meetings with decision makers. Those meetings will focus on the role of the US in the United Nations. Advocates will spotlight the role of the US in drafting the UDHR as well as the document’s continuing relevance as a reflection of US values and international leadership. Moreover, all participants will be encouraged to take a photo of the UDHR with their relevant congressional staff and/or representatives and share their experience on social media using #StandUp4HumanRights.

Reflect: UNA-USA will hold a reception that will honor the more than twenty community and college chapters that have completed or that have received “Stand Up” grants.

For more information, visit the UN-USA website.


  • I will respect your rights regardless of who you are. I will uphold your rights even when I disagree with you
  • When anyone’s human rights are denied, everyone's rights are undermined, so I will stand up
  • I will raise my voice. I will take action. I will use my rights to stand up for your rights.

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