UN News asked Astrid Van Genderen Stort, OHCHR head of external engagement and partnerships, about his.
“My daily essentials are my family, a sense of belonging, knowledge, security and the freedom to speak, do and live as I wish,” she replied.
With the help of artificial intelligence, UN News analyzed the most popular themes based on answers submitted by people around the world, from the freedom to “enjoy nature” to “live in peace”.
Ms Van Genderen Stort spoke with UN News about the campaign and what the responses say about the world today.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
UN News: What responses to the campaign struck you the most?
Astrid Van Genderen Stort: Each answer shows exactly how essential human rights are to our daily lives. As a human rights defender, I was particularly touched by the responses: “being humane towards all beings”, the “right to live my culture” and “speak and live without fear”.
These statements speak to the problems that so many people are still facing in the world and the times in which we find ourselves. They make me even more determined and committed to my work.
UN News: What do the answers say about the world we live in today?
Astrid Van Genderen Stort: Many people are suffering and living in very difficult circumstances. Yet what stands out to me from all the responses is that people around the world, whether in Afghanistan, the United States, Mexico and many other places, want and value the same thing: their basic human rights, their daily essentials – a safe place to live, access to education, to be recognized as equal human beings, the freedom to explore and enjoy.
This is the essence of our campaign: human rights are not something far-fetched, which we cannot influence; they constitute the basis of our existence and everyone has a role to play in ensuring their respect.
UN News: Many speakers mentioned family, nature and clean water. What can be done for people who do not benefit from these rights?
Astrid Van Genderen Stort: In these times of intense conflict, it is imperative for us to continue to monitor, report and defend those whose rights are violated. We did this through the voice of High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and our colleagues in communications and media. Through statements, reports, stories and social media, we document and encourage accountability.
UN News: What rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) have seen the most progress since the document was written in 1948, and which have seen the least?
Astrid Van Genderen Stort: Overall, we have seen progress on many of the rights represented in the UDHR. Article 26 – the right to education – saw the greatest improvement. From 1950 to 2023, the percentage of literate adults increased from 56 percent to 87 percent globally. In other words, in 1950, when the UDHR was adopted, only one in two adults in the world could read or write. By 2023, this figure had increased to nine in ten adults worldwide.
The article which has seen the least progress is article 15, on the right to nationality. At the time of the 75th anniversary of the declaration, one in four children in the world, or 166 million, did not exist on paper.
UN News: Why did OHCHR decide to choose the theme “Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials” for this year’s Human Rights Day campaign?
Astrid Van Genderen Stort: The UN human rights office has been one of the bulwarks against growing cynicism about human rights, marked by misinformation, insecurity and a shift towards more authoritarian policies. It is in this period of turbulence and unpredictability that we felt the need not only to reaffirm the values of human rights, but also to show that they remain a winning proposition for everyone, everywhere and every day. Human rights are found in so many small actions and things that we take for granted. They are in the air we breathe, in the food we eat, in the books we read. Like atoms, human rights are fundamental; they make up everything.
UN News: What is the purpose of the international day and why should people be aware of their rights?
Astrid Van Genderen Stort: United Nations international days serve as reminders, commemorations and celebrations. They are an opportunity to highlight particular issues or to remind us of events or movements that have helped to shape us. International Human Rights Day reminds us that the rights we enjoy are ours, inalienable and attainable. They can be violated if we do nothing to defend them. Everyone must know their rights in order to be able to claim them and ultimately defend them.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
