6 continents, 12 countries, 55 days, 59.000 miles for tolerance and peace in the world. July 2009 – In honor of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Youth for Human Rights International circled the globe in the 6th Annual World Tour, to celebrate the outstanding work that has been done and inspire further dissemination, promotion and reading of the important document in educational institutions around the globe which is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The purpose of Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is to teach youth about human rights — specifically, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights– and inspire them to become life-long advocates for tolerance and peace. Launched from Los Angeles on March 22nd, the exciting World Tour 2009 covered 12 countries in the six continents, in 55 days and over 59,000 miles. The Tour started out in Mexico, which featured meetings with multinational media and telecommunications corporations, as well as national government agencies for youth, antidiscrimination and human rights. One of the highlights of the visit to Barbados was a meeting with education officials and with senior leaders in the national government. The visit to Colombia featured meetings with senior officials in broadcasting, the military, and the office of the President of Colombia. Argentina was the first country in the Southern Cone of South America to be visited by YHRI. The visit to Timor-Leste, one of the world’s newest countries, featured meetings with senior officials from the government and the international community. It was followed by a visit to Darwin, Australia to meet with aborigines living there. The Middle East portion of the World Tour featured meetings with leading nonprofit organizations in Amman, Jordan, including a world-class children’s museum. Next was Moscow, which featured meetings with senior education officials and the director of the national youth library. Switzerland was a last-minute addition to the World Tour route after YHRI received an official invitation to represent youth at the Durban Review Conference at the United Nations in Geneva. The visit to South Africa broke new ground with visits to a museum at a historical site where Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela were incarcerated. Additional meetings were held with officials of the national government, military, media and the national library. The World Tour visit to Uganda featured meetings with members of parliament and a presentation at a leading university. "I was inspired to start YHRI by the words of humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard who said 'human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.' By traveling to the far corners of the world and meeting with like-minded people, groups and organizations, and working in collaboration, I believe we can truly make human rights a reality." Ms. Shuttleworth, President and Founder of YHRI, said. Reaching six continents, the World Tour visited government officials, orphans, educators and broadcast media organizations. New horizons opened up in sectors of society not previously approached, including children’s museums and multinational corporations. The response around the world demonstrated the enormous international acceptance and demand for the quality human rights education programs offered by YHRI.
Original: Youth for Human Rights International World Tour 2009