UN vows to help Somalia promote human rights

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- The United Nations on Sunday reaffirmed its unwavering support to Somalia in fully realizing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia, Catriona Laing, said Somalia is at a crucial stage of development focused on achieving its vision of an inclusive, peaceful, and stable Somalia based firmly on human rights.

"The principles and values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are as relevant today as they were when the document was first drafted," Laing said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to mark both Human Rights Day and the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The international community observes Human Rights Day every year on Dec. 10. It commemorates the day in 1948 when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.