Highlights

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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©OHCHR

Standing Up for Human Rights - a photo exhibition

03 July 2018

“All human beings have these inherent rights since birth. We have the right to express ourselves, have a full life, which should be exercised in a free and equal society.” – Hilda Pineda, public prosecutor, Guatemala.

Ms. Pineda’s quotation can be read on one of the panels that make up a photo exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, dedicated to the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Other human rights champions from around the globe featured in the exhibition also share with the public what the Universal Declaration means to them, and how the values enshrined in that document are relevant in their daily lives. Symbolic photographs that depict the concepts contained in each article accompany the pictures of these defenders.

The exhibition, asks the viewer: do they know this document, which is almost seventy years old but whose promises are still unrealised for millions of people around the world? Will they be able to identify each right represented just by looking at the images? Or will they linger in a moment of reflection on the actual text of the Declaration? Will they recognize themselves in the faces and quotations of those who tell us their stories?

The UN Human Rights Office, the Swiss Confederation and the City and Canton of Geneva invite the public to come and find out from 2-15 July and 18-30 August on Quai Wilson, Geneva.


  • 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.

people have stood up for human rights

We can all be Human Rights Champions

Tweet, Instagram or YouTube your action using the hashtag #Standup4humanrights.

Spread the word

#Standup4humanrights