Marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, more than 17,000 children from around the globe have drawn pictures depicting their passion for human rights in an international “Kids for Human Rights” drawing competition conducted by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva (UNOG), the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and the Garrabon Foundation together.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 as a common standard of achievements for all people and all nations. It set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages.

Kids 4 Human Rights Drawing competition (The Gabarron Foundation)

In celebration of the occasion, children from across the world were asked to draw or paint pictures in any of the three categories, the first showing the human right they felt most strongly about defending, the second one showing a human rights defender they admired, or the third, showing how they could personally defend or promote human rights. The winners of the international contest were announced on 10 December, Human Rights Day, which promotes and celebrates basic human rights of every woman, man and child.

An international jury of imminent persons had the daunting task of selecting the top three winners in three categories. Presided by internationally known Spanish artist Cristóbal Gabarrón, the jury also included Hani Abbas, a Syrian-Palestinian cartoonist who won the 2014 Editorial Cartoon International Prize awarded by Cartooning for Peace; Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights; Susanna Griso, Spanish journalist and television presenter; Tomas Paredes, President of the Spanish chapter of the International Association of Art Critics, and Jayathma Wickramanayake, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Youth.

(The Gabarron Foundation)

The winning artwork is said to become a part of the art collection of one of the first museums in the world dedicated to children’s art, set up by the Gabarron Foundation. Headquartered in Valladolid, Spain, the Queen Sofia Children’s Art Museum houses a collection of some 50,000 artworks produced by children all over the world. A branch will soon open in Shanghai, China, in 2019.

Artist Cristóbal Gabarrón is known for his work with the United Nations. Among other projects, in 2015 his “Enlightened Universe” sculpture, which he created for the 70^th anniversary of the United Nations, was inaugurated in New York’s Central Park. It has since been exhibited in Geneva and Amsterdam, and was displayed in Brussels until November 20 2018.

The 2018 commemoration of Human Rights Day marked the beginning of a year-long celebration of 70 years since the international community adopted the Declaration. We must remind ourselves to cherish and celebrate all our inalienable rights and freedoms including the right to education, a decent living, health care and a right to live free from any form of discrimination among others.