Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the Heart of UN Day 2023

Podgorica, 8 November 2023

The 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was the central theme of the United Nations Day ceremony co-hosted by the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, and the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Montenegro Peter Lundberg.

The President of Montenegro said that human rights are the basis of every inclusive, just and democratic society. He stated that Montenegro has made significant progress in promoting human rights, but that it still faces challenges in the areas of discrimination, violence and inequality. He particularly highlighted the rights and position of children in Montenegro.

“On the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I want to draw attention to families that do not have equal opportunities, where children are exposed to poverty, violence and do not have access to education. Official statistics say that almost every third child in Montenegro lives in poverty, and that number is even higher in multi-member families and in certain regions of our country. My message is clear: it is necessary to provide equal opportunities to every child so that none of them live in poverty," President Milatović said.

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights," says the first of the 30 articles of the Declaration which prescribe the various rights of every human being, universal, inalienable and based on dignity.

The resident coordinator of the UN in Montenegro, Peter Lundberg, said that "in spite of the increasing attacks on human rights we have witnessed over the past years, the Universal Declaration may be one of our best hopes, to guide us as we seek to address root causes and prevent these challenges from turning into something worse, like conflict and war".

“Heeding the declaration and its thirty articles will help us to build societies which are inclusive, where all people - without discrimination - have access to equal opportunities to develop their full potential, and where children, youth, women and men, can participate, and make their voices heard - even if such voices are critical.“ – said Lundberg and encouraged Montenegro to make specific human rights pledges at the high-level event on 11 and 12 December, hosted by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, to commemorate Human Rights 75.

In 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with which the member states defined the general view of the rights guaranteed to all people of the world. The Declaration is not a legally binding act, but its articles have been incorporated into the constitutions and laws of United Nations member states through numerous international instruments and conventions.

United Nations Day is celebrated around the world in memory of 24 October 1945, when the United Nations Charter came into force. Ratification of that document marked official establishment of the United Nations whose main goals are preserving the peace and security, supporting development and social progress, and protection of human rights. The United Nations was founded by the leaders of 51 countries, and today the world organization has 193 member countries. Montenegro became a member of the United Nations in June 2006, as the 192nd member of the organization.