Human Rights in Action: The Small Things That Shape Our World

Each year on the 10th of December, we mark Human Rights Day, a moment to reflect on our shared humanity and the enduring principles that unite us. The day commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, a pioneering document that affirmed, for the first time globally, the inalienable rights each person is entitled to simply by being human. Translated into 577 languages, from Abkhaz to Zulu, UDHR remains the most translated document in the world.

For 2025, the theme, “Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials” reminds us that human rights are not abstract ideals, but concepts that are woven into the fabric of our daily lives: the food we eat, the air we breathe, the opportunity to speak and the safety to live with dignity.

Everyday Essentials: What We Often Overlook

Human rights can often seem like lofty ideals or institutional commitments. But when we pause and reflect, we realise that they are essential in upholding our dignity: the right to protection, to free expression, to education, to health, to justice.

Human rights live in the small, everyday spaces that shape our lives, in a child’s right to learn in a safe classroom, in a worker’s right to a fair pay, and in a person’s right to speak freely without fear. They also exist in a community’s right to a healthy environment and in an individual’s right to fairness and equality regardless of race, gender, belief, or origin.

Source: Everyday Essentials – visuals and animations

When we forget their importance, we risk losing sight of their true power to safety, equality and dignity into the fabric of everyday life. Yet, many still face deprivation, discrimination, silence or fear.

As the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk has put it:

“We must reconnect with human rights, remembering that they are about people – about their needs, wants and fears, as well as their hopes and aspiration”

Volker Türk

Yet, in our current climate, is the UN truly fostering an environment where our universal human rights are respected? Are we moving towards a world where we experience more dignity as individuals, or are our rights becoming increasingly eroded?

That tension between the ideal of rights and the everyday lived experience of rights denied is exactly what this day invites us to confront.

This year’s campaign for Human Rights Day by the UN focuses on reconnecting people with the everyday importance of human rights. It highlights how these rights shape our daily lives, often in ways we hardly notice.

By linking human rights principles to real, lived experiences, the campaign seeks to raise awareness, build confidence, and inspire collective action.

At its core, the campaign underscores that human rights are positive, essential, and attainable. To learn more about the campaign, its objectives and how you can get involved and contribute in your community to make a difference, you may want to check out the “Human Rights – Everyday Essentials” Campaign Presentation.

An Invitation To Reflect

Human Rights Day invites us all to pause and reflect. What do human rights look like in your everyday life? Where do you see rights being upheld or disregarded? And what small choice can you make today, in your home, workplace, or community, to strengthen the culture of dignity and justice?

Take a moment to reflect on what truly matters in your everyday life: the things that make you feel safe, valued, and connected. These everyday essentials are human rights in action, and your voice can help shine a light on why they matter. The UN Human Rights Office of the High Commission invites you to share your own experience, whether it’s a message, a photo, or a story. Join the global conversation by submitting your thoughts through the form or posting on social media with #OurEverydayRights. Your contribution will become part of a collective story and may even be illustrated by a renowned artist. You can make your voice heard by being part of the movement.

On Human Rights Day, we are reminded that the fight for dignity, equality, and justice is ongoing, and that knowledge, awareness, and dialogue are essential tools in this struggle. Our journals, Third World Quarterly (TWQ) and Central Asian Survey (CAS), are part of this effort, providing platforms that explore systemic challenges, amplifying historically silenced voices, and highlighting efforts to realise human rights universally.

To honour this day, we have curated a selection of temporarily free-to-view articles that examine human rights issues from diverse perspectives across the globe, including but not limited to topics, such as right to clean food, peace building, women’s rights, child rights, right to development, disability rights, the right to education, right to employment, and the right to basic needs in times of war, especially in the case of Palestine.