In concrete terms, what are Human Rights?

10 December 2023

December 10 is World Human Rights Day. The Red Cross, by virtue of its activities, is naturally committed to defending them. This commitment was further strengthened in the summer of 2022, with the signing of the national “Business and Human Rights” Pact. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the reference documents in the Code of Conduct and Ethics of the Luxembourg Red Cross.

To mark Human Rights Day, we are inaugurating a series of articles on this theme.

The first two articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are as follows:

• Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
• Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

These two articles are reflected in the principle of humanity implemented by the Luxembourg Red Cross and in its mission statement. They express the fundamental principles of human rights: freedom, equality, dignity and fraternity of all human beings, without any discrimination.

These principles also imply that human beings must respect the rights and freedoms of others, and cooperate for the common good of humanity. These articles are therefore an invitation to live together in peace, justice and solidarity.