UN Principles for Older Persons

Independence 

1.	to access to adequate food, water, shelter, clothing, and health care through the provision of income, family and community support and help;
2.	to work and pursue other income generating opportunities with no barriers based on age;
3.	to retire and participate in determining when and at what pace withdrawal from the labor force takes place;
4.	to access education and training programs to enhance literacy, facilitate employment, and permit informed planning and decision making;
5.	to live in environments that are safe and adaptable to personal preferences and changing capacities;
6.	to reside at home as long as possible;

Participation 

7.	to remain integrated and participate actively in society, including the process of development and the formulation and implementation of policies which directly affect their well-being;
8.	to share their knowledge, skills, values and life experiences with younger generations;
9.	to seek and develop opportunities for service to the community and to serve as volunteers in positions;
10.	to form movements or associations of the elderly.

Care 

11.	to benefit from family support and care consistent with the well being of the family;
12.	to access health care to help them maintain or regain the optimum level of physical, mental and emotional well-being and to prevent or delay the onset of illness;
13.	to access social and legal services to enhance capacity for autonomy and provide protection and care;
14.	to utilise appropriate levels of institutional care which provide protection, rehabilitation and social and mental stimulation in a humane and secure environment;
15.	to exercise human rights and fundamental freedoms when residing in any shelter, care and treatment facility including full respect for their dignity, beliefs, needs and privacy and for the right to make decisions about their care and quality of life.

Self - fulfillment 

16.	to pursue opportunities for the full development of their potential;
17.	to access the education, cultural, spiritual and recreational resources of society.

Dignity

18.	to be treated fairly regardless of age, gender, racial or ethnic background, disability or other status, and to be valued independently of their economic contributions;
19.	to live in dignity and security and to be free of exploitation and physical or mental abuse;
20.	to exercise personal autonomy in health care decision making, including the right to die with dignity by assenting to or rejecting treatment designed solely to prolong life.

What are Human Rights?

    Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.

    Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms of treaties, customary international law , general principles and other sources of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or groups.

Song about Human Rights - "Yes We Can"

Bear with me on this one. So it’s not technically a song, or at least it wasn’t until Will.I.Am turned it into a handy campaigning tool for Obama’s 2008 election. I know it’s nearly impossible to separate this from our current president, and the many disappointments we may have with him to date, but if you take it at face value it’s a promise of progress, change, and hope that we all share. When I listen to this now, the “we” for me is not the Obama administration, but all of us who are working towards equal rights and how together we can ultimately achieve the change that was promised to us. If for nothing else, I hope you can appreciate a reminder of the awesomely random celebrity cameos in this.

We know the battle ahead will be long

But always remember that no matter

What obstacles stand in our way

Nothing can stand in the way of the power

Of millions of voices calling for change

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics

They will only grow louder and more dissonant

We've been asked to pause for a reality check

We've been warned against offering

The people of this nation false hope

But in the unlikely story that is America

There has never been anything false about hope 

What are your favorite equal rights anthems to get you through the day?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY