[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 126, 112th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8915--DEC. 10, 2012

Proclamation 8915 of December 10, 2012

Human Rights Day and Human Rights Week, 2012

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Sixty-four years ago, a group of nations emerging from the shadow of war
joined together to light a path toward lasting peace. They adopted the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights--a revolutionary document that
recognized the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all people as
the ``foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.'' As we
mark the anniversary of that historic act, we celebrate the rights the
Declaration recognized and recommit to strengthening them in the 21st
century.
The United States was built on the promise that freedom and fairness are
not endowed only to some--they are the birthright of all. Ordinary
Americans have fought to fully realize that vision for more than two
centuries, courageously forging a democracy that empowers each of us
equally and affords every citizen due process under the law. Just as we
have cultivated these rights here at home, so have we worked to promote
them abroad. Societies across the globe are reaching toward a future
where leaders are fairly and duly elected; where everyone can get an
education and make a good living; where women and girls are free from
violence, as well as free to pursue the same opportunities as men and
boys; and where the voice of the people rings clear and true. As they
do, the United States stands with them, ready to uphold the basic
decency and human rights that underlie everything we have achieved and
all our progress yet to come.
Men and women everywhere long for the freedom to determine their
destiny, the dignity that comes with work, the comfort that comes with
faith, and the justice that exists when governments serve their people.
These dreams are common to people all around the world, and the values
they represent are universal. This week, we rededicate ourselves to
fortifying civil rights in America, while reaffirming that all people
around the world should live free from the threat of extrajudicial
killing, torture, oppression, and discrimination. And we renew our
promise that the United States will be a partner to any nation, large or
small, that will contribute to a world that is more peaceful and more
prosperous, more just and more free.
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, 2012, as
Human Rights Day and the week beginning December


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10, 2012, 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 tenth day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.
BARACK OBAMA