Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
On International Human Rights Day, the United States celebrates the rights and freedoms enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This day has a special resonance for Americans, as the United States was the first nation founded on the belief that all individuals are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.
Indeed, it was an American First Lady who convened the United Nations conference that created the 1948 Declaration.
Under the Trump Administration, the State Department has taken a leading role in the promotion and protection of unalienable rights. Earlier this year, the Department released the report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights, which reaffirms the indispensable role the United States has, and will always play, in the respect and protection of human rights. And around the world, we have demonstrated strong support for those fighting for their unalienable rights and human dignity, from Xinjiang to Lagos, Minsk to Islamabad.
History demonstrates that governance that respects human rights and upholds the dignity of all human beings makes the world a safer and more prosperous place. But history also teaches that human rights must always be vigilantly protected. Today, the United States reasserts our commitment to stand always in solidarity with those fighting for their rights, and urges all nations to safeguard the human rights we all cherish.