Joining celebrations around the world, Human Rights Day will be celebrated in Port Moresby this Sunday at 1pm to 3pm through a free public mini-concert. The event will be held in the carpark of Renbo (Rainbow) Stop N Shop.
The event will be held in the carpark of Renbo (Rainbow) Stop N Shop.
Hosted by UN Women and the UN Human Rights Office in Papua New Guinea, the public concert will feature performances from local bands and youth groups, including the UN Women and NCDC Sanap Wantaim youth advocates and local singer Mereani Masani.
“By hosting the concert at Renbo we want to celebrate Human Rights Day with the community. Understanding your rights is a critical part of making rights real in PNG,” says UN Human Rights Officer, Alithia Barampataz.
The event hopes to attract youths and general public to engage with the messages of human rights, including ending gender-based violence, which remains a widespread problem in PNG.
The concert will feature live performances and interactive activities, including the “Add Your Voice” campaign, a global campaign to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights through which Papua New Guineans can join people around the world in reading and sharing the Declaration in their native languages.
The youth advocates from the Sanap Wantaim campaign will also discuss with the audience the various ways each of us can work towards ending violence against women and build a peaceful and safe society in PNG.
Human Rights Day is celebrated annually on the 10th of December to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on this date in 1948 by countries around the world. This Sunday’s mini-concert marks the launch of a year-long global campaign to engage, promote and reflect on the Declaration, which will celebrate its 70th anniversary on Human Rights Day next year. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone document which has promoted respect for human rights for all persons without discrimination.
In addition to engaging more people in Papua New Guinea to promote greater understanding of human rights, the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also provides an opportunity to reflect on the challenges that remain nationally and globally, and how each of us can stand up for human rights, in our daily lives.