Proclamation 6637

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

Thomas Paine once wrote that "Had we a place to stand upon, we might raise the world." December marks the anniversary of two cornerstone events in the continuing struggle to guarantee the protection of human rights and to raise world awareness of these due liberties. On December 15, 1791, the American Bill of Rights was ratified. And a century and a half later, on December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each document has raised the sights—and elevated the lives—of countless people.

Our Bill of Rights guarantees our fundamental liberties, including freedom of religion, speech, and the press. It has been an enlightening guidepost during the more than 200 years of social change that have broadened our understanding of these basic liberties and assured these basic rights for all of our citizens. We continue to commemorate Bill of Rights Day because ensuring respect for human rights in the United States is never ending—it is a work in progress.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The universality of these rights and the common duty of all governments to uphold them—the themes embodied in the Declaration—were reaffirmed at the World Conference on Human Bights in Vienna this past June. The Declaration has been the building block for developing international consensus on human rights because it promotes common interests we share with other nations. It recognizes that all people are endowed with certain inalienable rights—the right to life, liberty, and the security of person; the right to be free from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment; and the right not to be subjected to summary execution and torture. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights transcends socioeconomic conditions, as well as religious and cultural traditions, for no circumstance of birth, gender, culture, or geography can limit the yearnings of the human spirit for the right to live in freedom and dignity. These longings to improve the human condition are not a Western export. They are innate desires of humankind.

When we speak about human rights, we are talking about real people in real places. The Declaration's fundamental guarantees will ring hollow to many if the words are not converted to meaningful action. There is still much for us to do:


 * we must see to it that human rights remain a high priority on the agenda of the United Nations, through the creation of a High Commissioner for Human Rights and the effective operation of the Tribunal on War Crimes in the former Yugoslavia;
 * we must move promptly to obtain the consent of the Senate to ratify The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
 * we must pass implementing legislation on the Convention Against Torture so that we underscore our commitment to the worldwide goal of eliminating this heinous human rights violation; and
 * we must do all that is necessary to move to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

The Bill of Rights and Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrine this timeless truth for all people and all nations: respect for human rights is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 10, 1993, as "Human Rights Day," December 15, 1993, as "Bill of Rights Day," and the week beginning December 10, 1993, as "Human Rights Week." I call upon the people of the United States to observe these days and that week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighteenth.

William J. Clinton