60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Fred Hollows was known as a champion for social justice and equality, and believed everyone had the right to sight.

The Foundation continues to be guided by a human rights based approach to its development work and believes that all people have the right to high quality affordable eye care; and Indigenous Australians have a right to the same health outcomes and life expectancy as other Australians.

The Foundation believes that addressing disability is strongly linked to the promotion and protection of human rights and to the alleviation of poverty and social exclusion.

The Foundation is committed to both preventing the impact of disability and to ensuring that people with disabilities have equal access to our program activities regardless of their individual life situation or surrounding environment.

To find out more about how The Foundation is carrying on Fred’s work in the areas of human rights and advocacy, refer to these information sheets.

The 60th Anniversary is an important milestone and comes after a year-long UN system-wide advocacy campaign launched by the United Nations Secretary General.

According to the United Nation's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights'  website, the initiative celebrates the Declaration and the promise that has made this document so enduring: “Dignity and justice for all of us”.

Throughout the campaign, many governments, civil society, educational, cultural and human rights institutions have reaffirmed their commitment to the values and principles of the UDHR and to disseminate information about the Declaration.

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law , general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.

Source:  United Nations Human Rights: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights website