CHRAJ marks 60th anniversary of Declaration on Human Rights

Accra, Dec. 6, GNA - Ghana would on Wednesday join the international community to mark the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights. A statement signed by Mrs. Comfort Akosua Edu, Public Relations Officer of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) said in Accra on Saturday that all UN member states would use the occasion to focus on helping people everywhere to learn about human rights.

The UN General Assembly adopted and proclaimed the Declaration on December 10, 1948, which recognised that every person has fundamental human rights and freedoms. The Declaration states among other things that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity; everyone has the right to life, liberty and safety from harm and no person shall suffer slavery, torture or servitude.

The statement said the theme for this year's celebration: "Dignity and Justice for All of Us", would reinforce the vision of the Declaration as a commitment to universal dignity and justice and not something that should be viewed as a luxury or a wish list. "The campaign reminds us that in a world still reeling from the horrors of the Second World War, the Declaration was the first global statement of what we now take for granted - the inherent dignity and equality of all human beings," it added. The statement recognised the role of CHRAJ in serving as a national human rights institution, an ombudsman and an anti-corruption agency in helping to promote and protect human rights in the country since 2003. CHRAJ, it said, would issue its annual State of Human Rights Report during the anniversary celebration to ascertain the human rights status in the country.