[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 14, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 90665-90666]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30265]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 240 / Wednesday, December 14, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 90665]]


                Proclamation 9553 of December 9, 2016

                
Human Rights Day and Human Rights Week, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was 
                adopted on December 10, 1948, it set in motion a 
                movement to secure liberty and justice for all people. 
                Out of the ashes of the Second World War, the United 
                Nations General Assembly proclaimed that ``All human 
                beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.'' 
                On Human Rights Day and during Human Rights Week, we 
                reflect on how far we have come in upholding these 
                universal rights and resolve to continue fighting to 
                safeguard them wherever they are threatened.

                In the last few decades, our world has made great 
                strides in advancing human rights and the institutions 
                that protect them. More countries have pursued self-
                government and democracy--and more people are electing 
                their leaders freely and fairly and holding their 
                governments accountable through calls for increased 
                transparency. Around the world, the United States has 
                promoted freedom: We have worked to expand the 
                protection of human rights, end gender-based violence, 
                and defend the freedoms of expression, peaceful 
                assembly, and the press. In promoting these liberties 
                and pushing back against tyranny, corruption, and 
                oppression, we have recognized that universal human 
                rights and fundamental freedoms do not stop at our 
                borders. They are the birthright of people everywhere.

                History ultimately moves in the direction of justice 
                and inclusion, but despite the great progress we have 
                made, unprecedented and rapid change has posed great 
                challenges. It is our collective duty to continue 
                striving for a world where nobody is left behind, 
                forgotten, or mistreated, and where all nations 
                recognize that societies that draw on the contributions 
                of every citizen are stronger. Far too many people 
                around the world are still denied their human rights 
                and fundamental freedoms, and we must work to end the 
                discrimination that is too often felt by LGBT 
                individuals, people with disabilities, immigrants, 
                women and girls of all ages, and members of religious, 
                ethnic, and other minorities. And we must strengthen 
                our ongoing efforts to rid the world of violence, 
                oppression, and hatred.

                Our relationships to one another--person to person, 
                nation to nation--are defined not by our differences, 
                but by our shared belief in the ideals enshrined in the 
                Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As we observe 
                the anniversary of the affirmation that inalienable 
                rights exist for every individual, we vow to ensure 
                these rights are afforded to every person. Together, 
                let us continue striving to stamp out all forms of 
                injustice and promote dignity, humanity, and respect 
                around the world.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim December 10, 2016, as 
                Human Rights Day and the week beginning December 10, 
                2016, as Human Rights Week. I call upon the people of 
                the United States to mark these observances with 
                appropriate ceremonies and activities.

[[Page 90666]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and forty-first.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-30265
Filed 12-13-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F7-P