UN Declaration of Human Rights - not at my school

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories." (source: UN website)

On paper I'm well educated. I grew up in a prosperous developed country. Yet the basics of human rights were not part of my primary or secondary or third level education. Taking a responsible interest in current affairs means many of us have a brief familiarity with the concept of human rights as it pertains to many countries and situations around the world, but a brief familiarity doesn't seem to be enough. In fact, maybe it's exactly that, the fact that many of us don't really understand human rights or feel any sense of responsibility for the Declaration that allows many human rights injustices to occur around the world.

A global declaration sixty-two years ago has a lot to compete with. But if the last ten years formed a decade of technological innovation could the next ten be about human innovation? In other words we have (in theory) created a constantly connected world meaning that many people with no real voice should be empowered and represented. But how can this theory become a reality, what can we change in this decade to really impact continued human rights injustices?

I will explore different thoughts such as the current model of capitalism and the more interesting creative capitalism. I'll look at how young people (and old) are educated about human rights around the world. It could also be interesting to look at the consumption of travel, with more people and previously unexplored destinations, how could this impact increased knowledge of human rights. I also want to consider the fact that the application of human rights is just as important in developed as well as non-developed countries.