The Universal Declaration
Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December, the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United Nations General Assembly adopted the document in Paris on 10 December 1948.
The Declaration states that all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights. It sets out fundamental civil, political, economic and social rights. Translated into hundreds of languages, it forms the basis of modern international human rights treaties.
Rights set out in the Declaration
The Declaration contains 30 articles. These include the rights to life, liberty and security, the prohibition of torture and slavery, and equality before the law.
Other rights include freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression, and the rights to education, work and fair pay. A commission chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt led the work on the text.
Observance and working-day status
Human Rights Day is not a public holiday or a day off in Bulgaria: it is a normal working day. Institutions and human rights organisations mark 10 December with conferences and campaigns.
The Nobel Peace Prize is also presented on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. The United Nations presents its Human Rights Prize on this date as well; that prize is awarded every five years.