[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 49 (Monday, December 13, 1993)]
[Pages 2561-2562]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6637--Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human 
Rights Week, 1993

 December 10, 1993

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Thomas Paine once wrote that ``Had we a place to stand upon, we 
might raise the world.'' December marks the anniversary of two 
cornerstone events in the continuing struggle to guarantee the 
protection of human rights and to raise world awareness of these due 
liberties. On December 15, 1791, the American Bill of Rights was 
ratified. And a century and a half later, on December 10, 1948, the 
United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights. Each document has raised the sights--and elevated the 
lives--of countless people.
    Our Bill of Rights guarantees our fundamental liberties, including 
freedom of religion, speech, and the press. It has been an enlightening 
guidepost during the more than 200 years of social change that have 
broadened our understanding of these basic liberties and assured these 
basic rights for all of our citizens. We continue to commemorate Bill of 
Rights Day because ensuring respect for human rights in the United 
States is never ending--it is a work in progress.
    This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights. The universality of these rights and the common duty of 
all governments to uphold them--the themes embodied in the Declaration--
were reaffirmed at the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna this 
past June. The Declaration has been the building block for developing 
international consensus on human rights because it promotes common 
interests we share with other nations. It recognizes that all people are 
endowed with certain inalienable rights--the right to life, liberty, and 
the security of person; the

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right to be free from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment; and the right 
not to be subjected to summary execution and torture. The Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights transcends socioeconomic conditions, as well 
as religious and cultural traditions, for no circumstance of birth, 
gender, culture, or geography can limit the yearnings of the human 
spirit for the right to live in freedom and dignity. These longings to 
improve the human condition are not a Western export. They are innate 
desires of humankind.
    When we speak about human rights, we are talking about real people 
in real places. The Declaration's fundamental guarantees will ring 
hollow to many if the words are not converted to meaningful action. 
There is still much for us to do:
<bullet>    we must see to it that human rights remain a high priority 
            on the agenda of the United Nations, through the creation of 
            a High Commissioner for Human Rights and the effective 
            operation of the Tribunal on War Crimes in the former 
            Yugoslavia;
<bullet>    we must move promptly to obtain the consent of the Senate to 
            ratify The International Convention on the Elimination of 
            All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
<bullet>    we must pass implementing legislation on the Convention 
            Against Torture so that we underscore our commitment to the 
            worldwide goal of eliminating this heinous human rights 
            violation; and
<bullet>    we must do all that is necessary to move to ratify the 
            Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination 
            Against Women.
    The Bill of Rights and Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
enshrine this timeless truth for all people and all nations: respect for 
human rights is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 
10, 1993, as ``Human Rights Day,'' December 15, 1993, as ``Bill of 
Rights Day,'' and the week beginning December 10, 1993, as ``Human 
Rights Week.'' I call upon the people of the United States to observe 
these days and that week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of 
December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
eighteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 4:41 p.m., December 13, 
1993]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register  on 
December 15.