Making Rights Real: Call for Freedom, Equality and Justice for Persons with Disabilities
Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 10 December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world’s most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Human rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings — they are not granted by any state. Human rights are universal and inalienable and all human rights are indivisible and interdependent.
In 2022, in a historic move, the UN General Assembly Declared a Healthy Environment a Human Right. The General Assembly said climate change and environmental degradation were some of the most pressing threats to humanity’s future. It called on states to step up efforts to ensure their people have access to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment.”
Accessibility is Freedom. Accessibility is an agency/medium that allows one to access & enjoy fundamental human rights & freedoms, like education, speech and expression, healthcare, movement, employment, etc., that are necessary for living a meaningful life with inherent dignity. Universal Accessibility constitutes a Standard in Human Rights and Sustainable Development.
Both Climate Action and Universal Accessibility are sine qua non (absolutely indispensable) in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2023), especially for vulnerable communities, including children, women, old adults and persons with disabilities, who are disproportionately impacted by the lack of inclusive climate action and universal accessibility and consequently being subject to threat multiplier effect on various aspects of their basic human rights.
The theme for 2023 is Freedom, Equality and Justice for All.
In that contextual background, Poornamidam | पूर्णमिदम | పూర్ణమిదం and The Sangyan | द संज्ञान calls for ‘Making Rights Real’ —
1. Freedom from Disability Exclusion, Climate Vulnerabilities, and Inaccessibility.
2. Equality in Climate Action, Accessibility, and Opportunities.
3. Inclusive Environmental, Climate, and Disability Justice.
For the ‘Common Concerns of Humankind’ (Sustainable Development Goals): Let’s ‘Build Forward Better’ (Sustainability) Where ‘We All Belong’ (Inclusion) to Achieve Intergenerational Climate Justice and Equity!
Adv. Abhishek Kumar, Founder and Curator, The Sangyan.
Ar. Kavya Poornima Balajepalli, Founder and Curator, Poornamidam.
