FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        

December 10, 2007    

The Elders Call on a Billion Citizens to Sign and 

Uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights  

Cape Town, December 10, 2007— To begin the 60th anniversary year of the Universal 

Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), The Elders and partners today launched the Every 

Human Has Rights campaign to empower global citizens to protect the first-ever 

comprehensive agreement on human rights among nations.  

The Every Human Has Rights campaign calls on citizens to uphold the goals of the 

Universal Declaration in their daily lives and to hold governments accountable for the same. 

Through this effort, one billion people around the world will sign the Universal Declaration, 

taking responsibility and pledging to speak out to protect the freedom and rights of others in 

their communities. 

“Today, we remind people around the world that there are universal values we all share and 

universal rights to which every individual is entitled,” Archbishop Tutu, Chair of The Elders 

said. “We launch this campaign to create an atmosphere in which no person, government, 

or entity can deny freedom and liberty for any human. By calling on individuals to sign the 

Universal Declaration, we are asking the citizens of the global village to empower 

themselves and their communities by standing behind its values and goals. But we are also 

asking that one united human family join together to protect and defend the rights of each 

other.”  

Persistent Abuses Galvanize Human Rights Icons  

The Every Human Has Rights campaign launches at a time of human rights uncertainty 

around the globe, and will aim to raise awareness, particularly in areas of the world where 

governments ignore “equal justice, equal opportunity, [and] equal dignity without 

discrimination,” as voiced by Eleanor Roosevelt, champion of the Universal Declaration 60 

years ago. 

The Elders, a group of global leaders convened by Nelson Mandela and Graca Machel to 

address some of the major problems facing the world, became the first signatories to the 

online pledge, as an empty chair draped in orange drew attention to the continued 

imprisonment of Burmese human rights defender and Elder, Aung San Suu Kyi.  The Elders 

chair Archbishop Desmond Tutu, members Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner 

on Human Rights, and Graca Machel, President, Foundation for Community Development, 

Mozambique, shared the stage with leaders of human rights organizations to demand 

respect for the basic human rights agreed to in the UDHR.    

An Unprecedented, Diverse Coalition 

A diverse group of global NGOs, civil society organizations and businesses are partnering in 

the Every Human Has Rights campaign to highlight UDHR principles, including the right to 

health, women’s rights, and freedom of expression. Launch partners include ActionAid, 

Amnesty International, Center for Women’s Global Leadership, International PEN, Witness, 

Realizing Rights, Save the Children and UNICEF and throughout the year we will expand to 

include partners from civil society organizations in the developing world through networks 

like Civicus and directly. Through an innovative collaboration with Google and Witness, 

individuals and communities from around the world can tell stories of human rights abuses 

and human rights triumphs, which will then be brought to life on Google Earth.  

“The UDHR’s 60th anniversary offers a chance for a global conversation about the values 

that unite us as one human family,” said Mary Robinson.  “But it can be more. It can also be 

a moment for new visions and actions rooted in the best traditions of our past.  2008 can be 

a year in which people from every walk of life learn about and reflect on our shared rights. 

Now a new generation takes on a task to ensure that every human truly does have the rights 

they deserve – and that every government lives up to an agreement made 60 years ago to 

deliver those rights.” 

Background on UDHR 

Signed on December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration marked the first time in history that 

nations came together to agree on basic principles of justice, equality, and rights for all of 

humanity. Signatories took this action as the world began to confront the devastation in the 

wake of World War II, the Holocaust, and the use of the atomic bomb.  

UDHR has exerted a moral, political and legal influence throughout the world, far beyond the 

aspirations of its drafters.  It has been a primary source of inspiration for all post-war 

international legislation in the field of human rights. All of the United Nations human rights 

treaties and resolutions as well as the regional human rights conventions - the European 

and American conventions and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' rights - have 

been directly inspired by UDHR.  

Campaigning at a Critical Time 

Today, nearly 60 years after its signing, the world is confronted with the need to reaffirm 

UDHR in the face of abuses across the globe.  

“Human rights are not a privilege, they are everyone’s entitlement and it is an indictment of 

all of us that the rights of women and children are continually trampled on and ignored. So, 

as we approach the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we now 

have the opportunity to enforce the Declaration’s principles ensuring that every single 

woman and every single child enjoys the rights of all human beings,” said Graca Machel. 

Additional Information 

To find out more about the Every Human Rights Campaign, our partners, and the web tools 

giving voice to people from every corner of the globe, visit  www.theElders.org/humanrights 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        

December 10, 2007    

The Elders Call on a Billion Citizens to Sign and 

Uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights  

Cape Town, December 10, 2007— To begin the 60th anniversary year of the Universal 

Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), The Elders and partners today launched the Every 

Human Has Rights campaign to empower global citizens to protect the first-ever 

comprehensive agreement on human rights among nations.  

The Every Human Has Rights campaign calls on citizens to uphold the goals of the 

Universal Declaration in their daily lives and to hold governments accountable for the same. 

Through this effort, one billion people around the world will sign the Universal Declaration, 

taking responsibility and pledging to speak out to protect the freedom and rights of others in 

their communities. 

“Today, we remind people around the world that there are universal values we all share and 

universal rights to which every individual is entitled,” Archbishop Tutu, Chair of The Elders 

said. “We launch this campaign to create an atmosphere in which no person, government, 

or entity can deny freedom and liberty for any human. By calling on individuals to sign the 

Universal Declaration, we are asking the citizens of the global village to empower 

themselves and their communities by standing behind its values and goals. But we are also 

asking that one united human family join together to protect and defend the rights of each 

other.”  

Persistent Abuses Galvanize Human Rights Icons  

The Every Human Has Rights campaign launches at a time of human rights uncertainty 

around the globe, and will aim to raise awareness, particularly in areas of the world where 

governments ignore “equal justice, equal opportunity, [and] equal dignity without 

discrimination,” as voiced by Eleanor Roosevelt, champion of the Universal Declaration 60 

years ago. 

The Elders, a group of global leaders convened by Nelson Mandela and Graca Machel to 

address some of the major problems facing the world, became the first signatories to the 

online pledge, as an empty chair draped in orange drew attention to the continued 

imprisonment of Burmese human rights defender and Elder, Aung San Suu Kyi.  The Elders 

chair Archbishop Desmond Tutu, members Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner 

on Human Rights, and Graca Machel, President, Foundation for Community Development, 

Mozambique, shared the stage with leaders of human rights organizations to demand 

respect for the basic human rights agreed to in the UDHR.    

An Unprecedented, Diverse Coalition 

A diverse group of global NGOs, civil society organizations and businesses are partnering in 

the Every Human Has Rights campaign to highlight UDHR principles, including the right to 

health, women’s rights, and freedom of expression. Launch partners include ActionAid, 

Amnesty International, Center for Women’s Global Leadership, International PEN, Witness, 

Realizing Rights, Save the Children and UNICEF and throughout the year we will expand to 

include partners from civil society organizations in the developing world through networks 

like Civicus and directly. Through an innovative collaboration with Google and Witness, 

individuals and communities from around the world can tell stories of human rights abuses 

and human rights triumphs, which will then be brought to life on Google Earth.  

“The UDHR’s 60th anniversary offers a chance for a global conversation about the values 

that unite us as one human family,” said Mary Robinson.  “But it can be more. It can also be 

a moment for new visions and actions rooted in the best traditions of our past.  2008 can be 

a year in which people from every walk of life learn about and reflect on our shared rights. 

Now a new generation takes on a task to ensure that every human truly does have the rights 

they deserve – and that every government lives up to an agreement made 60 years ago to 

deliver those rights.” 

Background on UDHR 

Signed on December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration marked the first time in history that 

nations came together to agree on basic principles of justice, equality, and rights for all of 

humanity. Signatories took this action as the world began to confront the devastation in the 

wake of World War II, the Holocaust, and the use of the atomic bomb.  

UDHR has exerted a moral, political and legal influence throughout the world, far beyond the 

aspirations of its drafters.  It has been a primary source of inspiration for all post-war 

international legislation in the field of human rights. All of the United Nations human rights 

treaties and resolutions as well as the regional human rights conventions - the European 

and American conventions and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' rights - have 

been directly inspired by UDHR.  

Campaigning at a Critical Time 

Today, nearly 60 years after its signing, the world is confronted with the need to reaffirm 

UDHR in the face of abuses across the globe.  

“Human rights are not a privilege, they are everyone’s entitlement and it is an indictment of 

all of us that the rights of women and children are continually trampled on and ignored. So, 

as we approach the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we now 

have the opportunity to enforce the Declaration’s principles ensuring that every single 

woman and every single child enjoys the rights of all human beings,” said Graca Machel. 

Additional Information 

To find out more about the Every Human Rights Campaign, our partners, and the web tools 

giving voice to people from every corner of the globe, visit  www.theElders.org/humanrights