With this year’s theme ‘Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials’, Human Rights Day 2025 will be observed in Bangladesh on Wednesday as elsewhere across the globe.
Different organisations have taken elaborate programmes to observe the day.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described human rights as “our compass in turbulent times — guiding and steadying us through uncertainty,” as he launched the 2025 Human Rights Day campaign.
This year has seen the core principles of human rights come under significant strain.
“Inequalities are rising, conflicts are raging, the climate emergency is mounting, and some are creating and trying to deepen divisions within societies and between countries. But we must not give up,” Türk said in a video message issued to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter’s entry into force in 1945.
“We need more solidarity and more human rights to address the current challenges. It is crucial to keep advocating for our fundamental rights,” he added.
The 2025 campaign, titled Our Everyday Essentials, aims to reinforce the lasting relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its core ideals — equality, justice, freedom, and dignity — underscoring that human rights remain a consistent promise for all.
It draws attention to two interlinked dimensions of human rights: their extraordinary origin as one of humanity’s most ambitious global commitments, and their essential, everyday role in shaping ordinary life.
In a message marking the occasion Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus said, “On the auspicious occasion of Human Rights Day-2025, I, on behalf of the people and the Government of Bangladesh, reaffirm our steadfast commitment to upholding the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Charter.”
Internationally, Bangladesh continues to play an active role in global norm-setting as a member of the Human Rights Council, he said. “We remain engaged in international efforts to address emerging global challenges that hinder the full enjoyment of human rights, including conflicts, humanitarian crises, climate change and forced displacement.”
“We remain steadfast in advocating for the rights of the persecuted Rohingyas, who face oppression rooted in ethnicity-based politics. Even after eight years, not a single Rohingya has been able to return to Myanmar,” said the CA.
“We continue to shoulder a significant humanitarian burden by providing temporary shelter, while persistently drawing global attention to their plight, most recently at the UN High-level Conference on 30 September 2025. Likewise, we remain vocal in condemning human rights violations anywhere in the world, including in the Gaza Strip and we continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine in their legitimate struggle for statehood, justice and freedom,” he added
“As we observe Human Rights Day-2025, we reiterate our call that human rights ought to be promoted as an article of faith to assert the worth and value of every human life with dignity and without any discrimination. We also renew our pledge to work resolutely with our international partners and the UN system to further strengthen our national human rights regime and to engage meaningfully with the international community in advancing global human rights standards, ”he added.