What is celebrated on Human Rights Day?
Human Rights Day is celebrated every 10 December, commemorating the day in 1948 when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Human rights, as defined in the Declaration, are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more.
Furthermore, both the Treaty on European Union and its Charter of Fundamental Rights enshrine universal rights such as human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity on the basis of the principles of democracy and the rule of law.
Spain's commitment to human rights
Spain is a country deeply committed to human rights, the protection and promotion of which are a core focus of Spanish foreign policy.
A milestone in this commitment is the recent election of our country as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 period. Spain intends to use this position to promote all human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, without forgetting the right to a clean, safe and sustainable environment, gender equality and the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as to protect human rights defenders worldwide.
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Minister Albares addresses a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Spain, against the death penalty
Spain promotes the complete abolition of the death penalty worldwide and encourages States that still impose it to reduce the number of crimes that it applies to, to commute sentences, to reform their laws to establish alternative penalties and to apply moratoria as a step towards abolition.
In 2010, following a proposal from Spain, the International Commission against the Death Penalty (ICDP) was created, based in Madrid and made up of leading human rights experts from all regions of the world.
The abolition of the death penalty is included in the Spanish Foreign Action Strategy 2021-2024 as a human rights priority for Spain.
Gender equality and feminist foreign policy
A leading priority of Spanish diplomacy in the field of human rights is the fight for equality between men and women. The decision to adopt a feminist foreign policy stems from the leadership role that Spain plays at the highest level and the firm political commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. Spain participates very actively, both in the European Union and in the United Nations system, in developing policies and instruments to combat gender-based discrimination and defend the rights of women and girls. Our country is also an international reference due to its regulatory framework and public policies in areas such as the fight against gender violence, equality in the workplace and the balancing of work and family life.
The fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
The fight against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity is another distinctive and defining part of Spain's foreign action. Our nation participates in the main multilateral initiatives for the promotion and protection of the human rights of LGTBI people.
In recent years, our country has promoted and supported the mandate of the United Nations Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Spain is a member of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), the United Nations LGBTI Core Group and the Council of Europe LGBTI Focal Points Network. Spain has also joined the Global Equality Fund, a public-private partnership that supports civil society programmes to promote the social inclusion of LGTBI people and respect for their rights around the world.
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Dome of Room XX of the United Nations Human Rights and Alliance of Civilisations, by artist Miquel Barceló.
Rights of persons with disabilities
Spain continues to actively promote the rights of persons with disabilities, adopting the approach mapped out in the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The adoption of the Convention marked a paradigm shift with the recognition of persons with disabilities as true right-holders.
Human rights defenders
Spain supports the protection and promotion of the work of human rights defenders as positive agents of change. Their work is fundamental to highlighting situations of social injustice, combating impunity and promoting democratic processes around the world.
To implement this priority, the Human Rights Office (HRO) manages the Programme for the Protection and Temporary Shelter of Human Rights Defenders. This Programme targets human rights defenders who are threatened and at risk for their peaceful defence of human rights.
Spain will continue to advocate for a safe and enabling environment for the defence of human rights, and will encourage countries to step up their efforts to protect human rights defenders.
Spanish cooperation and human rights
Spanish cooperation policy is one of the leading examples of Spain's commitment to human rights. The recent Law on Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity places the defence of human rights as a guiding principle for our development cooperation, intimately linked to the promotion of democracy, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.
This principle is reflected in the different Spanish Cooperation Master Plans, particularly in the Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity 2024-2027, with a clear focus on human rights by promoting the empowerment of all people in the exercise of their rights, political participation, accountability and non-discrimination. An example of this approach to human rights cooperation is the recognition of the right to safe drinking water and sanitation.
Conclusion
On the occasion of Human Rights Day, Spain reiterates its commitment to the promotion and defence of these fundamental rights as a priority of its foreign action and cooperation policy. Its active work to abolish the death penalty, its feminist foreign policy and its fight against all types of discrimination position our country as an international reference in the field of human rights and as an actor committed to the United Nations, to multilateralism and to peace.