Still work to do as Canada marks International Human Rights Day

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – On a day dedicated to honouring people who are engaged in human rights efforts around the world, a local NGO is hoping to remind Vancouverites there’s still a lot of work to do.

International Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December – the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Mati Bernabei with the Canada Tibet Committee say the world, including Canada, has come a long way when it comes to preserving the human rights of all people. But she adds there’s still much that needs to happen.

“I’m so grateful that in Canada people can advocate for human rights in Canada in a public forum and not face the same life-and-death that a Tibetan in Tibet would,” she says.

And as a report made up of 25 recommendations for establishing a new provincial Human Rights Commission is released, Bernabei says she’s hopeful a commission will help address issues still faced. But she adds there is no quick fix.

“It has to be an ongoing, enduring effort.”

She explains there are a number of people struggling for human rights around the world, including in Tibet, and hopes the world will remember those who’ve struggled in the past.

“For many of us it’s very personal, where we take it as our annual day of honour, remembering those individual loved ones that we’ve lost but it’s also a day of honouring their struggle for global human rights.”

A vigil is being held by the Canada Tibet Committee outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on Sunday evening.

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