Protecting and Advancing Human Rights for All

“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

Support Black Lives

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.

Be a Human Rights Champion

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:

  • I will respect your rights regardless of who you are. I will uphold your rights even when I disagree with you.
  • When anyone’s human rights are denied, everyone’s rights are undermined, so I will STAND UP.
  • I will raise my voice. I will take action. I will use my rights to stand up for your rights.
Sign the Pledge

 

UNA-USA Members Standing Up For Human Rights

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.

 

Our Human Rights Impact

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!

HUMAN RIGHTS ON THE BLOG

Sign-on Letter: Rejecting the Report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights

From the Executive Director's Desk

Sign on Letter: Ratify ILO C190

Sign-on Letter: UNCHR

Sign-on Letter: Standing Together Against Racism and Discrimination

From the Executive Director's Desk

Sign on Letter: Calling for a Human Rights Council Special Session on Police Violence

United Nations

UNA-USA Members Discuss Gender Equality During COVID-19 on Global Dispatches Podcast

From the Executive Director's Desk

NGO Letter: Rohingya Response and COVID-19

From the Executive Director's Desk

Letter to U.S. State Department Commission on Unalienable Rights from UNA-USA Executive Director Rachel Bowen Pittman