Men, women and children, no matter who they are, no matter where they live, no matter what they do, have rights that can never be taken away from them. Governments around the world have an obligation to protect and promote these universal rights, but in many instances, they fail their own citizens.

The tenth of December marks the worldwide celebration of Human Rights Day. It’s not a day we can afford to let pass unnoticed! Today, we honour those people who are brave enough to stand up for their rights and the rights of others, despite the resistance they encounter. In many countries, human rights defenders work in extremely difficult circumstances, at great personal risk, and they deserve our full support.

The Dutch government wants to lend a helping hand to human rights defenders all over the world. We do this through our embassies, which support local human rights defenders and their organisations. And as foreign minister, I regularly urge local authorities to improve the situation of human rights defenders and give them the protection they deserve. Last month, the Dutch government presented Ms Shadi Sadr, a human rights activist from Iran, with the second annual Human Rights Defenders Tulip. This award is a clear token of respect for and recognition of the important work that human rights defenders do.

The European Union has a part to play in all this as well. The EU has issued guidelines to ensure the protection of human rights defenders. As of today these guidelines will be published on the websites of all Dutch embassies worldwide, to raise awareness of their existence and facilitate access to them.

We do this so that human rights defenders know they are not alone in their struggle and that they have friends to turn to, to support them in their work. Their courageous efforts must not go unnoticed. Not on the tenth of December, or any other day.