On the occasion of Human Rights Day

There’s a cliché that says: It’s darkest before the dawn. Each year on 10 December, we commemorate the anniversary of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, 77 years later, this year’s Human Rights Day theme is, “Our Everyday Essentials.” And Springer Nature, as part of our focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), actively supports researchers working directly on these issues.

The theme of this year’s Human Rights Day shows how human rights shape our daily lives. Human rights are far from abstract ideas but are essential elements of our everyday lives.

The 2025 Human Rights Day

The UN proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10th, 1948 — just three years after the end of World War II — and we celebrate Human Rights Day on the anniversary of that day each year. On this 77th anniversary, the theme of “Our Everyday Essentials” spotlights that human rights are positive, essential and attainable. In times of growing conflict and divided societies, “Our Everyday Essentials” seeks to reconnect people with human rights and bridge “the gap between human rights principles and everyday experiences”. The aims of this year’s Human Rights Day are threefold and strive to

1. Strengthen the understanding of human rights, 
2. Engage people to advocate for human rights, and
3. Inspire and encourage individual and collective action.

The Intersection of Human Rights Day and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions 

The preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets out that “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”. This makes promoting human rights an inherent part of the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs’) agenda, especially SDG 16. SDG 16 is dedicated to the promotion of peace, justice, and strong institutions.

Springer Nature’s Human Rights Portfolio

The researchers we work with (from across disciplines), and the work they publish with us, cover the whole range of research into human rights protection, tying directly into Human Rights Day 2025’s themes. Springer Nature’s portfolio reflects the importance and tangible nature of human rights. Some examples of the books we have published — some of which you will also find on this page —include research on (1) contemporary challenges to human rights, (2) foundations of human rights law and theory, (3) human rights in (everyday) practice and (4) regional human rights regimes.

In times of growing conflict and societies marked by divisions, our titles explore solution strategies to these contemporary Challenges to Human Rights from a scientific and often interdisciplinary lens. Titles include: 

• Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law - International Humanitarian Law under Pressure edited by Heike Krieger, Pablo Kalmanovitz, Eliav Lieblich and James Patrick Sexton (2026) 
• Identity-Based Mass Violence in Urban Contexts – Uncovered edited by Rachel Locke, Kelsey Paul Shantz, Andrei Serbin Pont and Jai-Ayla Sutherland (2025) 
• Girls’ Positionalities at the Intersection of Identity and Violence edited by Clara Chapdelaine-Feliciati (2026) 
• Prevention of Human Rights Violations in the Corporate Sphere - Perspectives on Criminal Compliance and Corporate Criminal Liability, by Louise de Barros Ibarra Papa (2025) 

Foundations of Human Rights Law and Theory: This theme covers titles that offer foundational texts on human rights. Our titles cover conceptual approaches and philosophical aspects of human rights as well as legal institutions at the international level. Titles include:

• An Introduction to Human Rights in African Philosophy by Motsamai Molefe (2025) 
• Black British Postcolonial Feminist Ways of Seeing Human Rights by Pamela Odih (2024) 
• The UN Charter - Five Pillars for Humankind by David J. Scheffer and Mark S. Ellis (2025) 
• Expanding Access to Justice- An Empirical Analysis of the Participation of State and Non-State Actors in the International Court of Justice by Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida and Giulia Tavares Romay (2024) 

Human Rights in (Everyday) Practice: Central to this year’s theme, our titles address human rights in (everyday) practice and spotlight the protection of specific human rights. Our titles span a wide range of human rights, including children’s rights, minority rights, participatory rights, and rights vis-à-vis the environment.

• The Interdependence of the Convention on the Rights of the Child - Understanding the Relationship of the Right to Play with other Convention Rights edited by Naomi Lott (2025) 
• Human Rights of the Transgender Community in India - Victimization and Beyond by Somabha Bandopadhay (2025) 
• The Human Right to Democracy in Multilevel Systems at a Time of Democratic Backsliding: Global, Regional and European Union Perspectives by Thomas Giegerich (2026) 
• Indigenous Peoples in the World Bank Group's Practice - An Inquiry in Light of International Human Rights Law by Silvia Solidoro (2025) 
• Building Bridges for Effective Environmental Participation: The Path of Law Co-Creation - The Chiquitano Multimodal Format for Disseminating the Escazú Agreement edited by Margherita Paola Poto and Giulia Parola (2024) 
• Handbook on Human Rights to a Healthy Environment - International, Regional, and Comparative Pathways for Policy Intervention in Cameroon edited by Jean-Claude N. Ashukem (2025) 

Regional Human Rights Regimes: Protecting human rights requires strong legal institutions. Our titles explore the protection of human rights not only at the international level but also spotlight regional protection regimes. Titles include:

• The Impact of European Human Rights Bodies on Penal Policies by Gaëtan Cliquennois (2025) 
• A Comparison of the European, Inter-American, African and Arab Human Rights Courts: Institutional Aspects edited by Ahmed Almutawa and Konstantinos D. Magliveras (2025) 
• The Protection of Indigenous Knowledge in Africa by Enyinna Nwauche (2025) 
• Hand in Hand? Canada at the Human Rights and Peacebuilding Nexus edited by Kirsten Van Houten and Alex Neve (2024) 

You’ll also find even more essential research in Springer Nature’s ongoing book series, including: 

• Palgrave Critical Studies in Human Rights and Criminology  
• Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Rights
• Human Rights Interventions 
• Gender, Justice and Legal Feminism 
• Gender Perspectives in Law
• Studies in Global Justice 
• New Approaches to Business, Human Rights and the Environment
• Sustainable Development Goals Series

as well as in the journals we publish, for example:

• Jindal Global Law Review 
• American Journal of Criminal Justice 
• Human Rights Review
• Feminist Legal Studies 

Add your voice to Springer Nature’s Human Rights programme

The work that human rights researchers publish with Springer Nature are part of the efforts to create a better day. Editors from across Springer Nature have curated human rights-related research on a dedicated hub, which I invite you to explore.

Here you’ll also read about how you can work with our editors to publish your research, too. Partner with a publisher that is committed to amplifying SDG research— we would look forward to working with you.

Explore human rights-related publications and more on our dedicated hub.

Related content: 

• Why the Social Sciences matter now more than ever 
• Palgrave Macmillan Celebrates 25 Years: The Story of Why Social Science Matters
• Springer Nature’s Sustainable Development Goals Programme 

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