Today, the world pauses to mark Human Rights Day, commemorating the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. 

Under the global theme “Human Rights: Our Everyday Essentials,” this is a reminder that rights make up the daily foundations of dignity -- food, housing, safety, and a voice that is heard. 

Sadly, everyday essentials are something that remain far out of reach for the average Bangladeshi - and it is a reality that we as a nation must look to be changing daily.

For Bangladesh, essentials ought to mean living wages that translate into food security. It ought to mean safe shelter and services, not just for the wealthy in urban areas but every person in this country. It ought to mean due process, rule of law, justice, and protection. It ought to mean the dignity of minorities, refugees, and the poor and marginalized - dignity upheld not as charity but as obligation.

Bangladesh experienced seismic changes in 2024, and there was genuine hope in the country for a while. With the promise of elections, yet with much of the hope lost to long-standing issues that have unfortunately become part of Bangladesh, it is imperative that we do not lose sight of what is most important: Creating an equitable nation for every person who calls this country home. 

This means we ensure these essentials, be that through law, budget, and will. From social protection that reaches the last person to urban planning that includes and takes into account the environment to courts that are accessible to all. 

This year’s theme is a call to make rights routine -- to ensure that these essentials are guaranteed not occasionally, but daily. Dignity should not be conditional. It is time we as a nation move from slogans to systems, from  promise to practice, and from goals to lived reality.