Dear Editor of the Daily Telegraph,
Sixty-five years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), we
ask political leaders to acknowledge the continued relevance of human rights both on the
global stage and here at home. As leaders of civil society groups we see the vital role of
human rights in ensuring a fair and healthy democracy, helping us all to live with dignity and
respect. Yet, while across the world human rights are so often the inspiration for domestic
law, here at home they rarely feature in current Westminster rhetoric.
This Human Rights Day, we ask political leaders to ensure that the UK’s recent commitments
at the United Nations Human Rights Council to ‘work tirelessly for the promotion and
protection of human rights, both domestically and abroad’ are made a reality. We hope that
the UK will stand firm on the European Convention on Human Rights and our Human Rights
Act, both inspired by the UDHR and providing vital protections to everyone here at home.
There is much to do to ensure these human rights have meaning for all people in the UK;
our political debates and action should focus on making this happen rather than taking us
away from the universal human rights standards long-championed by the UK.
Stephen Bowen and Professor Francesca Klug, Director and Chair of British Institute of
Human Rights
Asif Afridi, Co-Chair, English Regions Equality and Human Rights Network
Kate Allen, Director, Amnesty International UK
Amanda Ariss, Chief Executive, Equality and Diversity Forum
Tom Baillie, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People
Rob Berkeley, Director, Runnymede Trust
Adrian Berry, Chair, Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association
Keith Best, Chief Executive Officer, Freedom From Torture
Julie Bishop, Director, Law Centres Network
Carol Boys, Chief Executive, Down's Syndrome Association
Zrinka Bralo, Executive Director, Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum
Paul Breckell, Chief Executive, Action on Hearing Loss
Susan Bryant, Director, Rights Watch UK
Linda Burnip, Co-Founder, Disabled People Against Cuts
Jabeer Butt, Deputy Chief Executive, Race Equality Foundation
Annie Campbell, Director, Women's Aid Federation Northern Ireland
Neil Campbell, CEO, Alternative Futures Group
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary, the Royal College of Nursing
Rita Chadha, Chief Executive Officer, Refugee & Migrant Forum of East London
Shami Chakrabarti CBE, Director, Liberty
Professor Sara Chandler, Chair of the Human Rights Committee, Law Society
Ann Chivers, Chief Executive, BILD (British Institute of Learning Disabilities)
Karen Chouhan, Chair, Equanomics
Barbara Cohen, Chair Discrimination Law Association
Andrew Copson, Chief Executive British Humanist Association
Martin Coyle, Director, Trust Voice
Sister Colette Cronin, Congregational Leader, Institute of Our Lady of Mercy Sisters of
Mercy
Frances Crook, Chief Executive, Howard League for Penal Reform
Lynda Dearlove, MBE Chief Executive, Officer women@thewell
Helen Shaw and Deborah Coles, Co-Directors INQUEST
Tom Doyle, Chief Executive, Yorkshire MESMAC Group of Services
Holly Dustin, Director, End Violence Against Women (EVAW)
Dr Mark Ellis, Executive Director International Bar Association
Pat Elsmie, Director, Migrants' Rights Scotland,
Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive Officer, National Council of Voluntary
Organisations
Ceri Goddard, Chief Executive Officer, Fawcett
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive, Mind
Gary Fitzgerald, Chief Executive, Action on Elder Abuse
Don Flynn, Director, Migrants Rights Network
Alison Gelder, Chief Executive, Housing Justice
Penelope Gibbs, Director, Transform Justice
Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ (Committee on the Administration of Justice)
Carolina Gottardo, Director, Latin American Women’s Rights Services
Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive Officer, English Community Care
Association
Andy Gregg, Chief Executive, ROTA (Race on the Agenda)
Rob Greig, Chief Executive, National Development Team for Inclusion
Paula Hardy, Chief Executive, Welsh Women’s Aid
Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive, Scope
Jeff Hawkins, Chief Executive, Age Connect Wales
Vivienne Hayes, Chief Executive Officer, Women’s Resource Centre
Heléna Herklots, Chief Executive, Carers UK
Steve Hynes, Director, Legal Action Group (LAG)
Deborah Jack, Chief Executive, NAT (National Aids Trust)
Vaughan Jones, Chief Executive, Praxis
Joyce Kallevik, National Director, Wish
Des Kelly OBE, Executive Director, National Care Forum
Faiza Khan, Deputy Chief Executive, National Council for Voluntary Youth Services
Abdul Khan, Chief Executive Officer, BECON
Maia Kruger, Coordinator, Songololo Feet
Ratna Lachman, Director, JUST West Yorkshire
Shauneen Lambe, Director, Just for Kids Law
Marai Larasi MBE, Executive Director, Imkaan
Annette Lawson, Chair, NAWO
Annette Lawson, Chair, Judith Trust
Shauna Leven, Director, Rene Cassin
David Mepham, UK Director, Human Rights Watch
Wayne Myslik, Chief Executive, Asylum Aid
Polly Neate, Chief Executive Officer, Women's Aid
Peter Newell, Coordinator, Children are unbeatable! Alliance
Priscilla Nkwenti, Chief Executive BHA for Equality
Kunle Olulode, Chief Executive Voice4Change England
Naana Otoo-Oyortey OBE, Executive Director FORWARD
Simon Parkinson, Director for External Relations & Communities Royal Mencap Society
Kath Parson, Chief Executive Older Peoples Advocacy Alliance
Elizabeth Prochaska, Founder, Birthrights
Dr Dimitrina Petrova, Executive Director The Equal Rights Trust
Dave Prentis, General Secretary UNISON
Habib Rahman, Chief Executive JCWI
Mohammed Razaq, Executive Director West of Scotland Regional Equality Council Ltd
Bridget Robb, Chief Executive Officer British Association of Social Workers
Ewan Roberts, Manager Asylum Link
Paul Roberts, Chief Executive Officer LGBT Consortium
Sarah Rochira, The Older People's Commissioner for Wales
Revd Roberta Rominger, General Secretary The United Reformed Church
Alexandra Runswick, Director Unlock Democracy
Jago Russell, Chief Executive, Fair Trials International
Eithne Rynne, Chief Executive Officer, London Voluntary Services Council
Caroline Sagar, Chief Executive n-compass NorthWest
Natalie Samarasinghe, Executive Director United Nations Association - UK
Liz Sayce OBM Chief Executive Officer Disability Rights UK
Emma Scott, Director Rights of Women
Damien Short, Director Human Rights Consortium, University of London
Hannana Siddiqui, Coordinator Southall Black Sisters
Samantha Smethers, Chief Executive Grandparents Plus
Carol Storer, Director Legal Aid Practitioners Group
Robert Sutherland, Convener SCOLAG
Andy Thornton, Chief Executive Citizenship Foundation
Paola Uccellari, Director Children's Rights Alliance for England
Aneeta Prem and Vineeta Thorhill, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Freedom Charity
Debbie Walker, Chief Executive Age UK East London
Paul Ward, Acting Chief Executive Terrance Higgins Trust
Phillip Watson, Chief Executive Manor Gardens Welfare Trust
Chris Whitwell, Director Friends, Families and Travellers
Maurice Wren, Chief Executive, Refugee Council
Patrick Yu, Executive Director Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities
Prof Katja Ziegler, Director, Centre for European Law and Internationalism