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Recognizing Human Rights Day and International Migrants Day.
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WHEREAS, National Human Rights Day is observed globally every December 10 to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948, celebrating inalienable rights for all people, with annual themes focusing on current challenges like dignity, freedom, and justice for all, or specific rights issues. It serves as a call to action to uphold these fundamental rights against ongoing global threats like poverty, conflict, and discrimination; and,
WHEREAS, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, and is the first international agreement of the 20th century that clearly identifies the rights and freedoms that belong to us all as humans, and is celebrated on Human Rights Day; and,
WHEREAS, Work on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was led by Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife and widow of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As such, there is an important connection between this essential document, a document that embodies a shared global understanding of the rights we all hold as humans and highlights the essential truth that “all humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and the United States of America”; and
WHEREAS, On December 18, 1990, the United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, which emphasizes the link of migration to fundamental human rights; and
WHEREAS, International Migrants Day is observed annually on December 18th and recognizes that migration is a fundamental reality for humanity and that it is essential to ensure that people who migrate from their places of birth; and
WHEREAS, The United States of America has signed onto these two Declarations, committing to advance and uphold these rights in our own country; and
WHEREAS, Reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, are ways to understand and appreciate these rights and our nation’s commitment; and
WHEREAS, The City of Saint Paul works to advance human rights and the rights of migrants in tangible ways including expanding civil rights protections, supporting access to immigration status through connecting people to immigration legal service providers; and,
WHEREAS, In 2025, actions and initiatives undertaken by the City of Saint Paul that advance and uphold the human rights of all residents include advancement of immigrant and refugee inclusion goals and strategies ongoing work of the Immigrant and Refugee Program, participating in community opportunities to promote the Immigrant and Refugee Program’s resources, such as legal assistance, educational resources, and housing programs; and,
WHEREAS, These efforts are only a few of the tangible ways in which the City of Saint Paul works to advance human rights/civil rights, the rights of migrants and the rights of all residents, ensuring that our city is truly Welcoming, not just in name but in deeds; and
WHEREAS, It is by upholding our commitment to the rights of all that we ensure that the rights of each of us are and will be upheld, as taking rights away from some does not promote safety but ultimately ensures that no one is safe; and,
WHEREAS, Advancing the human rights of all residents, including individuals who migrate from abroad to make new lives in Saint Paul, is one way to honor the values embodied in the United Nations declarations referenced; and,
WHEREAS, The City of Saint Paul is and will always be committed to being a welcoming environment for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, place of origin, gender identity and religious affiliation; and,
WHEREAS, We stand in solidarity with and as part of the Saint Paul community that is suffering the impacts of the failure to uphold these rights in our society today, sufferings resulting from forcible displacement, indefinite detention, restriction of movement, separation from family members, restriction from access to essential resources, legal limbo and restrictions on legal identity, leading to harms including mental health impacts, terror, torture and death. These are the results of policies and actions which are intended to and which have the effect of stripping humanity from our fellow humans; and,
WHEREAS, The City of Saint Paul is committed to upholding the ideals embodied by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and members of their families because these commitments are our national obligations, because they reflect our own city values, and because success in any human endeavor is a shared success. We need and are dependent upon one another, and our commitment to each other is the key to prosperity for all, and now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby retroactively recognize December 10, 2025 as Human Rights Day and December 18, 2025 as International Migrants Day, and invites City Residents to recognize these two occasions by reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, sharing this information with others, and identifying additional tangible ways to honor and uphold the rights identified in these documents.