THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	174
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Requesting that the Office of Planning and sustainable Development adopt and promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

WHEREAS, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris, France on December 10, 1948, was the first international agreement of the twentieth century to establish fundamental rights and freedoms to which every individual is entitled; and

WHEREAS, the UDHR is a milestone document in the history of human rights and serves as a foundational blueprint for fundamental freedoms and concrete actions that support human rights, demand dignity for all, and respect the rule of law as a foundational principle of governance; and

WHEREAS, the UDHR:

(1) Represents a collective demand for peace, dignity, justice, and rights;

(2) Promotes a common understanding of dignity for every individual everywhere, which was collaboratively developed by representatives from different legal and cultural backgrounds of the world; and

(3) Demonstrates the power of ideas to inspire individuals to take collective action to change the world and ensure equality and equity, beginning in one's own community; and

WHEREAS, to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the UDHR, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched a one-year international campaign highlighting the essential truth that "[a]ll humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights"; and

WHEREAS, the seventy-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the UDHR will be celebrated in countries, capitals, and communities across the globe as part of a common effort to bring the UDHR to the attention of everyone everywhere; and

WHEREAS, the anniversary has the potential to rekindle a spirit and sense of solidarity, and rejuvenate a global movement through empowering people to fight for their rights; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development is requested to:

(1) In coordination with other state departments, adopt the thirty articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in furtherance of the Hawaii State Planning Act;

(2) Promote the UDHR to the people of Hawai‘i through popular public education; and

(3) Study the feasibility and impact of establishing a Hawai‘i Human Rights and Resilience Commission in accordance with the Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions, more commonly known as the Paris Principles, and submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, United States Secretary of State, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, Hawai‘i's congressional delegation, Governor, and Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Hawaii State Planning Act; Hawaii Human Rights and Resilience Commission; Study