Upholding human rights enables a society to put people at the center of all policymaking – political, economic and social – thus protecting the life and dignity of the human person whatever its condition or stage of development. In the year 2020, the world entered into the novel coronavirus pandemic, an unprecedented crisis that impacts all aspects of life and presents new threats to upholding human rights.
December 10 is International Human Rights Day. Join us in reciting this prayer by Rabbi Brant Rosen. Explore our Lenten Reflection Guide on human rights.
To understand what our faith teaches about human rights, see “Catholic Social Teaching and Human Rights.”
To learn about Maryknoll mission experience honoring and protecting human rights and the life and dignity of the human person, especially those who are poor and vulnerable, read Maryknoll’s 100 Years of Mission.
To learn about human rights advocacy, watch a 30-minute webinar, “Human Rights Advocacy and the Legacy of Sr. Dianna Ortiz.” You will also find a corresponding page of resources on current human rights issues.
To learn about new threats to human rights, see our articles featured in Maryknoll Magazine:
Upholding Human Rights During the Pandemic
A “David and Goliath” Story of Water Defenders
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan. 21, 2025 WASHINGTON, DC – In response to the executive orders signed by President Trump on the first day of his second term, the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns offered the following statement from its director, Susan Gunn. “The executive orders signed by President Trump make us ask how will the…
Jan. 13, 2025 With less than one week until the start of a new Trump presidency on Jan. 20, we are preparing to respond to major changes in policies that…
Indigenous Maasai community leaders met with the Tanzanian president in their ongoing to struggle to defend their land and human rights. The following article was published in the January – February 2025 issue of NewsNotes. On December 1, 150 Maasai delegates from Ngorongoro, Loliondo, and Sale met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the…
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, USCCB president, Bishop Mark Seitz, chair of the Committee on Migration, and Bishop Jaime Soto, chair of Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., issued a statement of pastoral concern on November 14, 2024. The following article was published in the January – February 2025 issue of NewsNotes. Compelled by the Gospel of Jesus…
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined 33 other faith and civil society organizations in a letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris requesting protections for Haiti and Haitians, namely ending the mass deportation of Haitians, stemming the flow of guns to Haiti, sanctions against the specific individuals responsible for human rights abuses, and encouraging…
This reflection was originally published in the 2024 Advent Reflection Guide: One Family of God. God indeed is my salvation; I am confident and unafraid. ISAIAH 12:2 What should we do? A people “filled with expectation” pose this question to John the Baptist. How often do our own hearts burn with the same question? Look…
Tuesday, December 10, we celebrate Human Rights Day, an opportunity to advocate for the full enjoyment of human dignity by everyone everywhere. Human Rights Day falls in Advent as Christians…
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined thirty faith and civil society groups in a letter to Senator Marco Rubio, Trump nominee for Secretary of Sate, requesting he prioritize ending the Sudan crisis through diplomatic efforts, appointing a special envoy, support for local aid providers, and support for atrocity documentation. Read as a PDF. December 5,…
The U.S. Department of Defense announced on December 17 the repatriation of Guantánamo detainee Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu to Kenya. The Defense Department announced more transfers of detainees, with possibly…
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns was among over thirty civil society and faith organizations calling on members of the Senate and House committees on foreign affairs to pass a “clean” five-year renewal of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Read letters to House and Senate committees as a PDF. Dec. 2, 2024 Dear Chairman/Ranking…
This reflection was originally published in the 2024 Advent Reflection Guide: One Family of God. A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight God’s paths… Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one crying out in the desert… What is the prophet Isaiah trying to say to his…
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns joined over a hundred civil society and faith based organizations in a letter to President Biden in support of restoration of United States funding of the United Nations Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Read the letter as a PDF. September 23, 2024 Dear Mr. President: We, the undersigned 104 civil…
In the midst of a history of suffering, Saint Oscar Romero lived and shared with the poor his unshakeable faith in the Lord of Life, the hope of seeing in El Salvador the Christian reality of new heavens and a new earth, and a charity not simply announced, but embodied in the fate of the…
Click here to download our 2024 Advent Guide: One Family of God, available in both English and Spanish. As we wrestle with the outcomes of yesterday’s elections, we look to…
Come pray, study, act with us. Ven para rezar, estudiar, y actuar con nosotoros Download a copy of the 2024 Advent Reflection Guide Descargar la guía para la reflexión en Adviento 2024 en Español The Advent Season begins Dec. 1, 2024. Advent is a season to prepare the way of the Lord. We commemorate the…
The 2024 Letelier-Moffit Human Rights Awards were given to Rabbis for Ceasefire and the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), and the Concejo de Autoridades de 48 Cantones de Totonicapán of Guatemala; and a slain former awardee was honored. The following article was published in the November-December 2024 issue of NewsNotes. The Institute for Policy…
More than 40 organizations working for peace and justice in Haiti came to Washington, DC for Haiti Advocacy Days. The following article was published in the November-December 2024 issue of NewsNotes. More than 40 organizations working for peace and justice in Haiti came to Washington, DC for Haiti Advocacy Days on September 25-26 to meet…
Iqbal Ahmad, Kroc Institute Fellow, writes of how, three years since the Taliban’s takeover, Afghanistan has devolved into one of the most repressive regimes in the world resulting in severe hardship and a third generation of Afghan refugees. The following article was published in the November-December 2024 issue of NewsNotes. More than two decades after…
