Human Rights day 2010 celebrated around Timor- Leste

10 Dec 2010

Human Rights day 2010 celebrated around Timor- Leste


Dili, 10 December 2010 -
Timor-Leste is celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with numerous events throughout the country today.


On 10 December, International Human Rights Day, human rights defenders from all walksof life are gathering at venues across the country to debate human rights progress and to promote the continued improvement of respect and protection of human rights for all.
Advocates include officials and representatives from the Office of the President, from Parliament and Government, from the Provedoria for Human Rights and Justice, from civil society and from the international community.
Highlights of the day include the third annual Sergio Vieira de Mello Human Rights Awards, and Parliament's third annual special session devoted to human rights, which this year focuses on Economic, Social and Cultural rights.
The Government-led, partnership-run, 16-day campaign to End Violence Against Women comes to a close in Baucau on Human Rights Day. The Provedoria and civil society have collaborated to spread the message of human rights, with special attention paid to organising competitions between school students and activities for children.
This year, under the slogan "Speak up – Stop Discrimination", the UN salutes human rights defenders around the world, whom UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay commends for their "magnificent battle to stop discrimination".
Footage of human rights defenders working to end discrimination will be shown in Geneva and elsewhere. Timor-Leste's Joazito dos Santos of the Disabled People's Organization "Raes Hadomi Timor Oan" will be among those featured.
Urging everyone to "be inspired by those seeking to make our world more just", UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says we should all "remember that everyone can be a human rights champion".

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