India marks Human Rights Day

With messages focussing on the importance of equal dignity and fair treatment for all, India and the United Nations marked Human Rights Day on 10 December 2025. At a conference in New Delhi, President Droupadi Murmu noted India’s role in shaping the global human rights framework and said that safeguarding the rights of every citizen remains essential to the country’s progress. Organised by the National Human Rights Commission, the event highlighted the importance of responsive governance and dependable public services in supporting people’s dignity and wellbeing.

Areti Sianni, the United Nations Resident Coordinator ad interim, also addressed the gathering and delivered the Human Rights Day message of the UN Secretary General, António Guterres. The statement recalled the origins of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, noted the pressures on civic space worldwide, and urged stronger support for institutions that protect people at risk. It also outlined the UN’s work with governments and civil society in areas including food and shelter, education, elections, mine action, environmental protection, women’s empowerment and peacebuilding.

A day earlier, UNIC New Delhi held a Human Rights Day screening of the Peruvian film Runa Simi at Instituto Cervantes, with support from the Embassy of Peru. The film tells the story of an indigenous Peruvian man who works with his son as they try to dub The Lion King into Quechua and shows how language shapes identity within their community. In her remarks, the Resident Coordinator ad interim, Areti Sianni, said “The film shows how language can shelter memory, how identity can drift away when words are pushed aside, and how a community can thrive when its voice rises.”

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.

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