Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is the leading UN entity on human rights with a unique mandate to promote and protect all human rights for all people. Under the leadership of the High Commissioner, with a staff of 1,300 working in more than 100 countries, it aims to make human rights a reality in the lives of people everywhere.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.
Human Rights are Universal
The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of international human rights law. This principle, as first emphasized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has been reiterated in numerous international human rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions. The 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights noted that "All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated."
75thAnniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
In 2023, the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is being celebrated as a milestone 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 peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and has been translated into over 500 languages.
The United Nations and Human Rights
The advancement of all human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, is a key purpose of the United Nations, which supports mechanisms established to promote and protect these rights and directly assists states in carrying out their human rights obligations.
"The climate crisis is the biggest threat to our survival as a species and is already threatening human rights around the world."
- António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
About Photography 4 Humanity
Photography 4 Humanity calls upon photographers around the world to bring to life the power of human rights. With compelling images that illustrate courage, despair, hope, injustice, compassion, and human rights victories and failures, large and small, this project aims to inspire people to get involved and take a stand for human rights. Based in Boulder Colorado, Photography 4 Humanity is an initiative led by world-renowned photographers that works with Eminent Jurors to help select top images from around the world to be featured in the annual Photography 4 Humanity exhibit by the United Nations. For more information and a list of Eminent Jurists, visit: Photography4Humanity.com
About Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance
The Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance addresses climate change as the human rights crisis that leading scientists and human rights advocates, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, have declared it to be. The initiative supports effective, human rights-based implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. For more information visit: righthererightnow.global
The Collaboration
In 2022 the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance started to collaborate with Photography 4 Humanity to feature images of people affected by climate change.
Photography 4 Humanity calls on photographers around the world to bring to life the power of human rights through their images. Highlighting the most compelling human rights imagery - illustrating courage, despair, hope, injustice, compassion in ways small and large, the photos serve to inspire people to get involved and take a stand for human rights.
Photography 4 Humanity encourages amateur and professional photographers alike, to submit images for an annual competition where the winner and top 10 finalists have their photographs exhibited by the United Nations globally via un.org.
Photography 4 Humanity, with the support of the UN Human Rights Office, call upon photographers around the world to capture images of people affected by climate change.
These images depict climate change as a human rights crisis, as women, children, minorities, the poor and marginalized suffer disproportionately as the climate catastrophe escalates.
The exhibit is developed to highlight the work of top photographers through the Photography 4 Humanity Global Prize Competition, and to inspire photographers to document the power of human rights around the world.
The exhibit is created and organized by Photography 4 Humanity with the support of UN Human Rights Office.
FINALISTS
The last hope
Photo/Sourav Das. West Bengal, India (June, 2022)
Mother and daughter hoping for rain
Photo/Joydeep Mukherjee. Bali Island, Sandarbans, India (September, 2022)
Running through the storm for water
Photo/Peter Ndung'u. Amboseli, Kenya (July, 2022)
After the storm
Photo/Nguyen Ngoc Hai. Phu Quoc Island, Viet Nam (September, 2022)
Stand off
Photo/Ingmar Björn Nolting. Lützerath, Germany (January, 2023)
Bush fire
Photo/Lalliot Théo. Livingstone, Zambia (July, 2022)
Displaced by drought then flood
Photo/Esmatullah Habibian. Herat, Afghanistan (June, 2022)
Following the earthquake
Photo/Sayed Habib Bidell. Paktika Province, Afghanistan (June, 2022)
The sinking Sundarbans mangrove forest
Photo/Supratim Bhattacharjee. Mousuni Island, Sundarbans, India (September, 2022)
Fragments of faith still remain
Photo/Pubarun Basu. Malda, West Bengal, India (February, 2022)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Typhoon Hinnamnor
Photo/Kim hee-chul. Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea (September, 2022)
The future is here
Photo/Supratim Bhattacharjee. Satjelia Island, Sundarbans, India (September, 2023)
Water guardians
Photo/Esteban Biba. San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala (April, 2023)
Drought
Photo/Wadaa Abdul Kareem Faleh. Nasiriya, Iraq (July, 2022)
Inventory of the sea
Photo/Camila Hermes. Capão da Canoa, Brazil (October, 2022)
The Conselice flood
Photo/Cesare Barillà. Conselice, Italy (May, 2023)
Sustainable impact
Photo/Mouneb Taim. Amsterdam, Kingdom of the Netherlands (February, 2022)
Vegetable garden
Photo/Domenico Fasano. Ziguinchor, Senegal (May, 2022)
Drying planet
Photo/Sandipani Chattopadhyay. West Bengal, India (June, 2022)
Rising sea
Photo/Eddie Jim. Kioa Island, Fiji (May, 2023)
Demolition
Photo/Ribhu Chatterjee. Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India (August, 2022)
Cooking through the flood
Photo/Mohammad Omar Faruk. Chittagong, Bangladesh (August, 2022)
Artificial coral reefs are created
Photo/Christian Barbe. Mananjary, Madagascar (July, 2022)
Africa blues
Photo/Giulia Piermartiri. Mozambique (June, 2022)
A handful of water
Photo/Ekrem Sahin. Burdur, Türkiye (August, 2022)
Watching the world burn
Photo/Bernard Kalu. Lagos, Nigeria (February, 2022)
Australian bush fires
Photo/Thomas Beach. Melbourne, Australia (April, 2022)
Solidarity
Photo/Michele Lapini. Forlì, Italy (May, 2023)
Landscape revealed
Photo/Anna Korbut. Switzerland (July, 2023)
From death springs life
Photo/Enoch Anyane. Ashanti Region, Ghana (January, 2023)
This exhibit was launched in December 2023