International Human Rights Day, every year on 10 December, commemorates the anniversary of one of the world's most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being - regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 and sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. 

Learn more about how the Netherlands collaborates internationally to strengthen human rights.

To mark International Human Rights Day, we screened the documentary ‘Mr Nobody Against Putin’ after opening remarks from Ambassador Paul Huijts.

This is part of a broader collaboration between the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Movies that Matter. Each year, a selection of documentaries is made available to the network of Dutch missions worldwide, to organise screenings and activities.

These documentaries all centre on themes of Human Rights, and the screenings serve to broaden views on human rights: to stimulate debate and conversation, raise awareness and provide new insights.

'Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ is about Pavel ‘Pasha’, a Russian teacher, beloved mentor, prankster, and nonconformist, known for hanging up democracy posters in his classroom. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pavel took on the role of international whistleblower by exposing the devastating effects of Russia’s aggressive militarisation within its own schools. It is available in the UK on BBC iPLayer.

Since 1991, on 25 November, UN Women's Orange the World marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. It also marks the start of 16 Days of Activism from 25 November to 10 December, Human Rights Day, symbolically linking gender-based violence and human rights and emphasises that such violence is a violation of human rights.

The colour orange was chosen in reference to the sunrise and a new day as a symbol of hope.

During the campaign, buildings and landmarks across the world - including our Embassy building here in London - are lit up in orange for these 16 days, alongside other activities.

In contribution to 16 Days of Acitivism, on 2 December, we welcomed around 50 attendees from the Netherlands and the UK, representing research, policy, and frontline work, to an online conversation with Professor Sandra Walklate on 'Preventing Femicide: Problems and Possibilities - Lessons from the UK'.

We explored what the Netherlands could learn from the UK's criminalisation of coercive control and the implementation of Clare's Law. These are complex issues, and the conversation revealed new insights into the progress made so far and the remaining challenges ahead.

Professor Walklate is a leading figure in criminology and victimology whose work centres on gender-based violence, specifically how structures of gender, power and victimisation operate in contexts of domestic abuse, intimate partner homicide and coercive control. In her research, she bridges academic research, policy relevance, and law enforcement and frontline concerns. Her latest book, Femicide: Problems, Possibilities, and Prevention, with Kate Fitz-Gibbon, was published in September 2025.

The discussion reiterated the importance of continuing to share best practices and experiences between our countries, and beyond, not only at a policy level, but also between prosecutors and police, to ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere.

The leading charity in England and Wales engaging men and boys to prevent men’s violence against women and girls is White Ribbon. Their campaign for 16 Days of Activism calls to help and encourage more men to use their voices and speak up. “Sexist jokes, catcalling, staring, and comments might seem harmless, but they are serious because they can lead to violence and abuse. Every time we ignore something that doesn’t feel right, we miss a chance to set a better example.”
 
Recently the Dutch government launched a campaign to encourage men to speak up to each other when they see sexually transgressive behaviour (seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag). Check out the campaign ads on the Rijksoverheid YouTube channel.