WinnipegREALTORS® embarked on a fund-raising and awareness campaign this fall to help the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights reach their goal of raising $105 million in private capital to build the museum in Winnipeg. To date, the 105-year old association of REALTORS® has raised close to $100,000 and intends to continue into 2009 to raise more funds for the musuem. It has made an appeal to other REALTORS® and REALTOR® associations throughout the country to make donations.
Below is an article marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Shocked by the events of the Second World War, on December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which recognizes that every person has rights — freedom, equality, justice.
This living document belongs to us. Few people in Canada know about the importance of the UDHR and fewer still know that a Canadian, legal scholar John Peters Humphrey, was its principal author.
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is envisioned to be a national and international destination — a centre of learning where Canadians and people from around the world can engage in discussion and commit to taking action against hate and oppression.
As former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said: “It has long been recognized that an essential element in protecting human rights was a widespread knowledge among the population of what their rights are and how they can be defended.”
Education is the key to empowerment and while the CMHR is just setting out on its historic journey, it will soon embark upon its work in the area of education with the creation of its first virtual exhibition. The CMHR will provide people from around the globe with the knowledge and skills needed to make a difference in their communities and create lasting positive change.
On December 10, the CMHR will launch its inaugural online exhibit entitled, Everyone Has the Right … A Canadian and The Words that Changed the World, in honour of the 60th anniversary of the UDHR. In this interactive exhibit, visitors will discover how a Canadian helped create the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and see its impact on our country today.
Explore the exhibit, get informed, and get involved: Your active awareness can help fulfill the promise of the declaration.
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg is Canada’s newest national museum with a mission to enhance the understanding of human rights, to promote respect for others and to encourage reflection and dialogue.
The men and women who drafted the UDHR saw a future of freedom from fear and want. Their vision has inspired many human rights activists and defenders, and the work continues today to make that vision a reality.
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights will be a catalyst for global change that echoes the words of John Peters Humphrey, “There is a fundamental connection between human rights and peace. We will have peace on earth when everyone’s rights are respected.”
We must all play a part in promoting human rights and hope you’ll consider making a financial commitment to help build the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
All gifts made by December 31 will be matched dollar for dollar by one of Winnipeg’s visionary philanthropists and the museum’s chair, Arni Thorsteinson, and his wife Susan Glass.
To donate, visit www.foreverchanged.ca and click on the R® logo. Your fully tax-deductible donation will help build an institution that transforms visitors into human rights champions.