[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 125, 112th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 8765 of December 8, 2011

Human Rights Day and Human Rights Week, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
With the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on
December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly affirmed the
eternal truths that all people have the right to liberty, equality, and
justice under the law. On Human Rights Day and during Human Rights Week,
we celebrate our fundamental freedoms and renew our commitment to
upholding and advancing human dignity.
The human race reflects a myriad of vibrant cultures and unique
identities, yet we are united by the innate liberties that are our
common birthright. The rights to assemble peacefully, to speak and
worship as we please, and to determine our own destinies know no
borders. All people should live free from the threat of extrajudicial
killing, torture, oppression, and discrimination, regardless of gender,
race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, or physical or mental
disability.
Dictators seek to constrain these liberties through repressive laws and
blunt force, but hope cannot be imprisoned and aspirations cannot be
killed. We are reminded of this when demonstrators brave bullets and
batons to sound the call for reform, when young women dare to go to
school despite prohibitions, and when same-sex couples refuse to be told
whom to love. The past year saw extraordinary change in the Middle East
and North Africa as square by square, town by town, country by country,
people rose up to demand their human rights. Around the world, we
witnessed significant progress in consolidating democracy and expanding
freedoms, often facilitated by critical assistance from the
international community.
In the 63 years since the global community came together in support of
human dignity and adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, our
futures have grown increasingly interconnected. We have

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a stake not only in the stability of nations, but also in the welfare of
individuals. On this anniversary, we recognize human rights as
universal, and we stand with all those who reach for the dream of a
free, just, and equal 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, 2011, as
Human Rights Day and the week beginning December 10, 2011, as Human
Rights Week. I call upon the people of the United States to mark these
observances with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
sixth.
BARACK OBAMA