International Human Rights Day
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
December 10, 2012
On
December 10, 1948, world leaders gathered at the United Nations General
Assembly and affirmed the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of
all people. In adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR), the international community committed to building a world where
all people are “born free and equal in dignity and rights” and are
entitled to liberty, equality, and justice under the law. As we
celebrate Human Rights Day more than six decades after the adoption of
this cornerstone document, we reaffirm our commitment to promoting and
protecting its fundamental truths.
We do so by advancing the
universal freedoms enshrined in the UDHR, including the freedom to
speak, the freedom to assemble, and the freedom to worship. When
governments seek to deny these liberties through repressive laws and
blunt force, we stand against this oppression and with people around the
world as they defend their rights. These rights are complementary and
mutually reinforcing. As I said in Dublin, religious freedom is about
people being able to practice their faith, but it is also about the
right of people to think what they want, say what they think, associate
with others, and assemble peacefully without the state looking over
their shoulders or prohibiting them from doing so. It is neither
necessary nor acceptable to sacrifice one right in the name of another.
We seek to protect these rights at home and advocate for them abroad
because doing so is central to our identity, a source of our influence
in the world, and essential to our national interests. As President
Obama and I have said, governments that respect human rights and reflect
the will of their people are more stable, secure and prosperous over
the long run, and better allies for the United States. Human rights
cannot be disconnected from other priorities. They are inextricably
linked with all of the goals we strive for at home and around the world.
The Universal Declaration is not just a catalog of rights and
government obligations. It is a time-tested blueprint for successful
societies.
We celebrate Human Rights Day every December, but
advancing freedom and human rights is our daily work. Those of us lucky
enough to live in countries like the United States have an extra
responsibility, first, to remain vigilant in ensuring that we honor and
implement our own commitment to human rights at home, and second, to
help others gain what we have - the chance to live in dignity. We will
continue to uphold and advance these fundamental freedoms both on and
offline; we will continue to speak out about oppression wherever it
occurs; we will continue to foster tolerance; and we will continue to
work toward building a more just and peaceful world.
