The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) joins human rights advocates worldwide in commemorating the anniversary of December 10, 1948, when Eleanor Roosevelt stood before the United Nations General Assembly and declared “this Universal Declaration of Human Rights may well become the international Magna Carta of all men everywhere.”
On this day, UMD calls upon the United Nations and the European Union to exert pressure on the governments of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, and Serbia to meet their international human rights obligations to all of their citizens, including their indigenous Macedonian communities.
Since 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights became the bedrock of many constitutions around the world. However, 64 years later, people everywhere are still struggling for their most basic civil rights, and not only under universally-acknowledged dictatorship regimes in the developing world, but also within European Union and NATO member states themselves, such as Greece.
Since its establishment in 2004, UMD has been committed to protecting human rights for Macedonians as a core principle of its mission. In 2005, UMD initiated a petition signed by over 100,000 individuals to bring an end to racial, ethnic and religious discrimination against people of ethnic Macedonian origin. Since then, UMD has worked tirelessly on this issue year after year. Most recently, our human rights delegation from Aegean Macedonia in Greece, consisting of Archimandrite Nikodim Tsarknias, and UMD Greece Representative Eugenia Natsoulidou met with high-level officials in Washington, D.C., and Ottawa.
On this historic day, UMD invites all Macedonians to continue to work together and to spread the truth about Macedonia and Macedonians. UMD will continue to work to ensure that human rights are upheld and respected, and encourages all Macedonians to get involved in our important work. It is essential that Macedonians have a strong, united voice before global policymakers.