Human Rights Day 2009 on 10 December will focus on non-discrimination. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay will mark the occasion in South Africa.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights established 60 years ago that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights". Yet today, the fight against discrimination remains a daily struggle for millions around the globe.

Find out more on the special web-sites:

www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/2009/

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/HumanRightsDay2009.aspx of the OHCHR website

Everyone of us can make a difference. We encourage you to mark Human Rights Day 2009 by advocating non-discrimination, organizing activities, raising awareness and reaching out to your local communities on 10 December and throughout 2010.

We will provide you with statements of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General on Human Rights Day 2009 closer to December 10.

We count on your support and participation to make this year's focus on non-discrimination a success.

For any queries, please write to humanrightsday@ohchr.org

BACKGROUND:

The promotion and protection of human rights has been a major preoccupation for the United Nations since 1945, when the Organization's founding nations resolved that the horrors of The Second World War should never be allowed to recur.

Respect for human rights and human dignity "is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world", the General Assembly declared three years later in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, all States and interested organizations were invited by the General Assembly to observe 10 December as Human Rights Day (resolution 423(V)).

The Day marks the anniversary of the Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Over the years, a whole network of human rights instruments and mechanisms has been developed to ensure the primacy of human rights and to confront human rights violations wherever they occur.