The declaration was adopted with 48 countries’ vote while countries such as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Ukraine, Belarus, Yugoslavia, Poland, South African Republic, Czechoslovakia and Saudi Arabia voted against it. The declaration is described as the charter of fundamental rights and freedoms. Since the day of its approval, Dec. 10 has been marked as the World Human Rights Day. The theme of this year’s Human Rights Day has been set as the “individual’s right to join in public life.”

Since the day of its establishment, IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has been working to take aid to people who are hit by disasters, tyranny, hunger or poverty in any part of the world without making any discrimination among them based on region, religion, language, ethnicity or sect and to prevent violation of the fundamental rights and freedoms of these people. Defending individuals’ and societies’ fundamental rights and freedoms without making any discrimination has been an indispensable part of the IHH’s humanitarianism understanding and aid mission.

IHH is also making efforts to bring the human rights violation in various regions of the world to the public attention, inform the public correctly on these for the maintenance of social justice and prevent human rights violations. In this regard, the foundation organizes panels, symposiums and international conferences, it prepares reports, informs the public via periodicals and internet, publishes book, organizes demonstrations and makes press releases.