Schools across the United Kingdom set to mark 60th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Amnesty International today revealed that over 92% of senior schools across the UK are all set to join in ‘Our Rights’ Birthday celebrations this year.

The celebrations are designed to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which in the aftermath of the Second World War set out for the first time international rights and freedoms for citizens across the globe. The celebrations are supported by the Co-operative Bank as part of its Customers’ Who Care ‘Defending Human Rights’ campaign in partnership with Amnesty.

The schools have all signed up to take Amnesty’s new DVD education resource, Human Rights Are Our Rights.

The resource is just one of a menu of activities Amnesty has made available to schools to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which also led to the creation of Amnesty International.

Jo Cobley, head of Amnesty International UK’s education and students team, said:

“The response has been phenomenal. The UDHR set out 30 basic rights 60 years ago, and the response from British schools shows that they are as relevant now as they were back in 1948.

“Each article should be cherished by everyone, which is why we are calling them ‘Our Rights’.

“The 60th anniversary itself falls on 10 December, but schools can take part in the birthday celebrations of ‘Our Rights’ anytime between now and the end of term.”

The resources being made available to schools include a new three-minute animated film Everybody, which stars Julian Rhind-Tutt; access to Amnesty speakers; and a new human rights passport. A full list of available ‘Our Rights’ resources can be viewed at www.amnesty.org.uk/our-rights .

Michael Fairclough, Head of Community and Campaigns at The Co-operative, said:

“At a time when the number of people living under oppression is actually increasing, it is even more important that human rights are put in the spotlight. It’s a really key issue for our customers, with 98% supporting our Ethical Policy position on human rights.

“We hope a whole new generation will be inspired to take action on these important issues as a result of the campaign, and we’ll be backing it up by taking the message out to our customers, members and Co-operative Schools.”

Human Rights Are Our Rights, Everybody and the UDHR passport have been funded by The Co-operative Bank as part of their ‘Defending Human Rights’ campaign in partnership with Amnesty International.