ETUCE engages for equality, justice and human dignity on the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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10 December marks the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This day celebrates the day that the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that every individual regardless of their race, colour, religion, sex, language, political opinion, birth or other status, has the right to fundamental rights, this consists of:

  • Article 1, Right to Equality
  • Article 2, Freedom from Discrimination
  • Article 13, Right to Free Movement in and out of the country
  • Article 19, Freedom of Opinion and Information
  • Article 26, Right to Education

As the United Nations statement highlights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a global beacon which advocates for dignity, equality and well-being. The rights include civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights which apply to every individual. In a world with a rise in hatred, racism and intolerance, human rights are being threatened thus, highlighting the importance of solidarity and engaging for human rights across the world.

For EI/ETUCE, Human Rights Day is an opportunity for trade unionists, teachers and other education personnel to reflect upon the values they stand for and to defend, protect and support education as a human right and a public good. In Europe, democracy, respect and protection of human rights lay the foundation on which the policies are shaped within the European Union institutions as well as the Council of Europe and ETUCE together with its member organisations work hard every day to promote, strengthen and protect human and trade union rights at national and European level.

Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Day, ETUCE emphasises the importance of freedom, democracy, tolerance, equality and human rights for the work of education trade unions in promoting social dialogue and collective bargaining for quality education and an inclusive society based on quality citizenship education.

At present ETUCE together with its project partners EFEE and ESHA is carrying out the EU CONVINCE project highlighting the crucial work of teachers and other education personnel in promoting democratic citizenship and social inclusion in education.

To read more on Human Rights Day, please click here.

To find out more about ETUCE’s work on citizenship education and EU common values, please click here on the Joint Statement on Citizenship Education & EU Common Values.