Ombudsman marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948, the Ombudsman, in her triple capacity as guarantor of citizens’ fundamental rights before the public authorities, National Human Rights Institution and National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture and Ill-Treatment, welcomes and reaffirms the fundamental values enshrined therein, which call for equal consideration of the dignity of all people, born free and equal in rights.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is the most important international instrument for the protection and promotion of human rights, with the aim of universally guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of all people, regardless of nationality, origin, skin colour, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social or economic status or political or religious convictions, and has served as inspiration for various other legal instruments for the protection of human rights, both international and national, such as the Portuguese Constitution. In addition to its universal vocation, the UDHR is timeless, and today it is perhaps just as important to invoke and reaffirm the ideals of respect for the dignity of all people, peace and justice that were at the basis of its formulation.

As part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the UDHR, the Ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral, took part as a speaker on 5 December at the International Conference organised by the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries on the theme “75 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Visions for the CPLP” and was represented by the Coordinator of the Ombudsman’s Office, João Portugal, at the Cycle of Lectures organised by the CPLP Human Rights Network on 11 December, on the theme “Dignity, Freedom and Justice for all in the CPLP countries”.