62 Walks Worldwide in honor of the 62nd Anniversary
of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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| International Walk for Human Rights in Denmark |
In honor of the 62nd anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Walk for Human Rights 2010 was represented in 62 walks around the world.
The purpose of Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is to teach youth around the world about human rights, specifically the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and inspire them to become advocates for tolerance and peace.
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| International Walk for Human Rights in the United States |
Organized by youth members of YHRI as a celebration of United Nations Human Rights Day, the walk has more than doubled in only its second year.
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| International Walk for Human Rights in India |
Over 20,000 people walked in 26 nations across six continents to create awareness for human rights.
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| International Walk for Human Rights in Italy |
Countries that participated in the walk included Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cameroon, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Holland, India, Italy, Japan, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States and Zambia.
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| International Walk for Human Rights participants in Mali |
The United Nations theme for Human Rights Day 2010 is "Human Rights Defenders Who Act To End Discrimination" with the message of "Speak Up - Stop Discrimination". The International Walk for Human Rights is a way that youth across the world did just that.
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| International Walk for Human Rights in Pakistan |
Walking on streets lined with palm trees or streets covered with snow, each walk portrayed a uniqueness as people walked through crowded city streets of Europe, on rural dirt roads of India, passing local markets in the Middle East, throughout major universities in America, or villages in Africa. As each walk proudly displayed their nation, they all carried the same message of human rights.
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| International Walk for Human Rights in Russia |
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| International Walk for Human Rights in Taiwan |
Dustin McGahee, a youth member of YHRI from the United States, created the idea for the International Walk for Human Rights and was its key organizer. Dustin (pictured above with guitar) wrote a song, "10,000 Voices for Human Rights," which has become a favorite of youth volunteers around the world. This year the song was sung in many countries such as Belgium, India, Japan, Russia and Taiwan by participants in the International Walk for Human Rights. The lyrics and a link to the song are copied below.
