The DC Office of Human Rights (OHR) is co-sponsoring a series of events with the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area (UNA-NCA) in celebration of UN Week 2008.
The primary mission of the UNA-NCA is to raise public awareness and support for the UN, and to advocate for its increased effectiveness. UNA-NCA’s outreach and advocacy efforts within area non-governmental organizations, universities, and other public forums are aimed at broadening the UN's constituency in the national capital area and to build a practical understanding of the UN's ideals and objectives.
UN Week is an opportunity to promote tolerance, fairness and equality which are core principles of both OHR and UNA-NCA. Through engaging the community in art, educational events and dialogue, UN Week will foster better understanding across differences. UN Week events will be held across the DC Metropolitan area.
OHR is the agency of District of Columbia government responsible for educating DC residents about the human rights and protection afforded to the community and enforcing such rights according to the DC Human Rights Act and other laws and policies.
“Our goal is to promote the values inherent in OHR’s mission, through the partnership with UNA-NCA, and provide an opportunity for DC residents, workers and visitors to learn more about the work of the UN in the context of human rights,” said Gustavo Velasquez, Director of OHR.
To learn more about UN Week, click here or visit www.unanca.org.
On December 10th, OHR and UNA-NCA will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, consists of a preamble and 30 articles, setting out a broad range of fundamental human rights and freedoms to which all men and women, everywhere in the world, are entitled, without any distinction.
The Declaration was drafted by representatives of all regions and legal traditions. It has over time been accepted as a contract between governments and their peoples. Virtually all states have accepted it. To learn more about the Declaration, visit www.unhchr.ch.