(Berlin) – On Human Rights Day, numerous landmarks in Germany will light up in blue. The Elbphilarmonie in Hamburg, St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt am Main, the Memorial Church in Berlin, and the Angel of Peace in Munich will all be illuminated on December 10, 2021. In doing so, these cities make a clear statement for human rights.
“More and more cities in Germany are joining the movement to light up their landmarks in blue,” says Nesrin Thomsen, Director of Development and Outreach at Human Rights Watch Germany. “In times of the pandemic, this is an important sign that crises of national and global scope can only be overcome through action in solidarity and based on human rights.”
Human Rights Day is celebrated worldwide on December 10 to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The document is a landmark international instrument and states the inalienable rights that apply to all people.
In addition to landmarks in Germany, 22 well-known sites in Canada, such as Niagara Falls, will light up in blue this year. Human Rights Watch and its volunteer committee members are committed to this initiative and thank all those who have worked in their cities to support this project and its implementation. Special thanks go to the German Postcode Lottery, which supports Human Rights Watch’s work in raising awareness of human rights among the German public.
“Human rights were fought for and must continue to be defended with all our strength in these times. We are therefore particularly pleased that such landmark buildings across Germany will be lit blue for human rights this year,” said Thomsen.
