Dear John,

On this Human Rights Day, we celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)—a monumental proclamation by the United Nations General Assembly on this day in 1948. In that monumental moment, human rights became internationally recognized and codified as natural and fundamental to the world order.

74 years after the adoption of the UDHR, the international community is still falling short of living up to the vow to observe and respect human rights, and the Latin American region is no exception to this shortfall. This is WOLA’s urgent task—to speak truth to power and to advocate for those whose human rights are violated throughout Latin America.

Our advocacy throughout the years and across our programs has always held human rights as its central tenet—whether it be championing drug policy reform, advocating for a gendered lens on the issues of criminal justice and incarceration, or calling for an ethnically-inclusive peace accord. These strategies seek to recognize the human rights of marginalized populations. And as trends change and needs evolve throughout Latin America, WOLA will continue to be at the forefront of the fight for human rights and democracy.

Our advocacy is made possible by the generosity of supporters like you. We hope you will join us on this Human Rights Day in standing up for the inherent dignity of those in the Americas.