Harvard International Law Journal

The oldest and most-cited student-edited journal of international law, the Harvard International Law Journal covers a wide variety of topics in public and private international law.

Secretary-General Commemorates Human Rights Day

Filed Under: Digest

December 10 was UN Human Rights Day.  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon used the occasion to remind the world that the freedoms upheld in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must apply universally: “The Declaration remains as relevant today as it did on the day it was adopted,” Mr. Ban said. “But the fundamental freedoms enshrined in it are still not a reality for everyone. Too often, Governments lack the political will to implement international norms they have willingly accepted.”

December 10, 2008 will mark the 60th anniversary of the Declaration.  Mr. Ban hopes that the world will use year leading up to the anniversary to reinvigorate efforts to ensure that the document’s freedoms apply to all.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour gave a separate statement.

The full text of the Declaration, adopted by the General Assembly on December 10, 1948, is available here.