“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home—so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world.” — Eleanor Roosevelt, former UNA-USA Board Chairwoman and Human Rights Champion
75 years ago, the protection of human rights was a key purpose in the founding of the United Nations. Today, here in the U.S., the human rights of Black Americans are under threat. Join our efforts to end racial injustice, oppression, and institutionalized racism in America.
Now more than ever, we must stand up for basic rights and fundamental freedoms at home and around the world. In partnership with UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), we ask citizens, leaders, and advocates to take this pledge:
Enacted by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. Eleanor Roosevelt, former UNA-USA board chairwoman and trailblazer, chaired the UDHR drafting committee and was integral to its adoption.
Read the Declaration
In November 2020, the United States underwent a “Universal Periodic Review” (UPR) of its domestic human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council. In 2019, UNA-USA campus and community chapters hosted local Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Consultations to to constructively set the agenda on a human rights challenge in the United States, collaborate with likeminded community partners, and help catalyze change in the U.S. through a universal UN process. The resulting feedback from this consultation will be included in the United States’ official 2020 Universal Periodic Review report to the UN Human Rights Council.
Explore our ReportsThis toolkit provides background on launching a local UPR consultation – on a human rights topic of your choice – with your UNA-USA chapter and members of your greater community.
What if we told you there was a way to leave a Yelp review for the U.S. government’s efforts to protect human rights in our country? Well, there’s a process called the “Universal Periodic Review,” and it’s the closest you can get to such an opportunity.
With this webinar and our supporting UPR toolkit, you can start the process of gathering people in your community to develop recommendations for the upcoming UPR of the U.S. in 2020 on a human rights issue of your choice.
UNA-USA and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) have partnered to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) throughout 2018. The anniversary takes place at a pivotal moment for the U.S.-UN relationship, as policymakers on Capitol Hill consider funding cuts that would threaten UN priorities. That’s why we’re rolling up our sleeves to make sure human rights are acknowledged, prioritized, and protected around the world.
Explore our resources below to find out how you can get involved.
Through our partnership that was launched with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNA-USA has empowered thousands of Americans across the country to Stand Up for Human Rights. Through advocacy, programming, and community events, our network of chapters confronted some of the most pressing human rights challenges facing their communities, while also celebrating the progress that has been made.
In June 2018, 500 UNA-USA champions delivered a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to every single Congressional office on Capitol Hill, sending a powerful and timely message to lawmakers: Now more than ever, we must recommit to protecting human rights at home in the U.S. and around the world.
Throughout October 2018, UNA-USA chapters around the nation held over 120 events to celebrate the 70th Anniversary, and sent over 800 messages to Capitol Hill, urging representatives in Congress to cosponsor a human rights resolution.
We took the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on a trip across America. With the help of our UNA-USA chapters in local communities and on college campuses, we educated diverse audiences on the importance of this historic document. Scroll through our photo gallery to see where we took the UDHR!
Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial – Boise, Idaho
Disneyland – Anaheim, CA
St. Augustine, Florida
South Carolina State House – Columbia, South Carolina
St. Louis, Missouri
Woodbury University – Burbank, CA
Urbana/Champaign, Illinois
Veterans War Memorial Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, California (where the UN Charter was signed by 193 nations in 1945!)
San Francisco, CA
Rosalyn, New York
Pomona College — Pomona, California
Massachusetts State House — Boston, Massachusetts
Iowa City, Iowa
Broward County, Florida
University of Maryland — College Park, Maryland
