Importance of human rights funding in today’s context
The UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. It is worth noticing that this document was drafted after the end of the Second World War as a way to prevent the atrocities of the conflict occurring in the future, and to reflect upon the need for a legal framework able to protect the basic rights of the world’s citizens. This Declaration was conceived as a way to protect human beings from aggression perpetrated on the basis of discrimination in any form.
As such, the Declaration set the guidelines for the further drafting and enforcing a series of treaties, laws, and agreements signed by nation states in order to build international collaborations towards the common understanding that human lives are always to be respected and protected.
According to the Declaration, human rights are defined as “the rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, sexual orientation or any other status”.
In 2008, the world celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Declaration by launching a yearlong campaign, entitled Dignity and Justice for all of Us. On this occasion, various international political authorities restated the importance of the 1948 Declaration, highlighting the extent to which, by ensuring that all human beings rely on just laws that are able to protect them, it would be possible to move towards “the greatest fulfilment of human potential, a promise which is in the heart of the Universal Declaration” (Louise Arbour, High Commissioner for Human Rights).
Accordingly, the importance of this Declaration, and the relevant initiatives promoted to guarantee the respect of human rights, must be appreciated as the effort to promote a just international society in which everybody feels free and safe to speak, work, think, and fulfil her/his own dreams and life expectations.
The importance of designing and implementing projects targeting the enforcement of human rights is still of utter importance whichever is the specific target of your organisation i.e. whether you work with communities that are discriminated on the basis of gender, ethnicity, religious or political membership, or social status.
Crucially, the reinforcement of human rights is currently understood as pivotal in approaching development. In fact, as argued by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay in 2010, it is important to address the issue of human rights in relation to economic development, particularly in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In her own words, “Human rights principles such as equality, participation and accountability and the rule of law are instrumental for development to take firm root and be both equitable and sustainable”.
Keep on reading this guide to know how to access funding for human rights, how to find grants for human rights projects from private foundations and governmental donors and more.
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