Hi John,

This year’s Human Rights Day (10 December) marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): a groundbreaking global pledge, drafted by people from nearly every country in the aftermath of the Second World War, that set out – for the first time – the fundamental rights that all human beings are entitled to. 

Our name was inspired by the 19th article of the UDHR, which all of our work seeks to uphold, protect, and extend worldwide:

‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.’

– Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Yet today, from armed conflicts to mounting environmental destruction, we are witnessing a global clampdown on these universal human rights – a stark reminder of how important the UDHR still is.

The sheer power of the declaration – and the human rights movement – has enabled ordinary people all over the world to rise up in greater numbers than ever to expose power, greed, and corruption. 

Even now, as the war and catastrophic humanitarian crisis continues, Israeli and Palestinian people are coming together to support each other, end the crisis, and pursue peace via the grassroots movement, Standing Together.

In Ecuador, activists celebrated a significant victory when a court found Swedish digital rights, privacy, and human rights activist Ola Bini innocent. He had spent 3.5 years behind bars on charges based on little or no evidence. During that time, campaigners – including ARTICLE 19 and Latin American civil society organisations – united to advocate for his release.

And in Poland, a powerful movement of volunteers and activists met with local communities to emphasise the importance of democratic elections and to bring people – women in particular – to the ballot box. Mass mobilisation translated into a record voter turnout of over 74%, including unprecedented numbers of young people and women.

From the famous heroes who wrote the UDHR to the everyday heroes who rise up to defend their communities, this 75th anniversary, ARTICLE 19 stands in solidarity with human rights defenders everywhere. It is their fearless courage and determination that inspire us to do what we do. 

'Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. … Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere.’

– Eleanor Roosevelt, Chair of the drafting committee for the UDHR

The UDHR laid the groundwork for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: a shared roadmap launched in 2015 to end poverty; achieve good health, education, equality, and decent work for all; and to preserve our planet, now and for future generations.

Right now, as world leaders, diplomats, business representatives, and civil society activists from more than 180 countries gather in Dubai for COP28, we urge them to deliver on the promises they made back in 2015.

Freedom of expression is at the heart of sustainable development. It is only when people are both informed and consulted that they can meaningfully participate in making decisions that affect their own lives. 

And when people raise their voices together, they can achieve real change for their communities:

• In Thailand, land rights campaigners used their right to information to expose corporations’ illegal use of government-owned land, resulting in a trespassing palm-oil company being evicted and the land redistributed to local farmers.

• In Uganda, after receiving training on the right to information from the Africa FOI Centre, a resident of Kabale and a journalist from a local radio station successfully campaigned for better access to clean water and electricity in their village.

• In Indonesia, activists successfully protested against plans to plant sugarcane across the Aru Islands, which would have threatened locals’ livelihoods and food security. As a result of their campaign, the government agreed to not only stop the planting but also protect the environment of Aru.

‘Our impact may be large, may be small, and may be nothing. But we must try.  It is our duty to the dispossessed and it is the right of a civil society.’

– Cao Shunli, Chinese activist and lawyer

On this 75th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, will you invest in protecting these vital freedoms for all?

ARTICLE 19 is building a global movement for freedom of expression so that everyone, everywhere, can realise the power of their voices.

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