New Delhi, Dec 7 : President Ram Nath Kovind will address the Human Rights Day programme on December 10, a statement said Today.

“To mark the Human Rights Day, the NHRC is organising a programme on December 10 at Vigyan Bhawan. President Ramnath Kovind will grace and address the function as the chief guest in the presence of chairperson Justice Arun Mishra,” the NHRC said in a statement here on Tuesday.

NHRC members, secretary general, other senior officers, members of the statutory commission, SHRCs, diplomats, civil society, among others, will attend the programme, it said.

Human Rights Day is celebrated on December 10 every year to commemorate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It was adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948.

“The inherent spirit of the UDHR is that all human beings are born free and have right to life, liberty and security of person, equality before law and equal protection of law and freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion and expression. This spirit of giving importance to the protection of human rights is also embedded in the Constitution of India from which the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993 also derives strength, the NHRC said in a statement.

Since its inception on October 12, 1993, under the PHRA, the NHRC’s contribution to the cause of human rights in the country, in line with the discussions at different world bodies including Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) and Asia Pacific Forum (APF), is a well-recognized fact, it added.(UNI)