Human Rights

Despite ongoing challenges, there have been significant positive developments in human rights worldwide. For example, the number of people living in extreme poverty has declined from 1.9 billion in 1990 to 689 million in 2019, with many countries making significant progress in reducing poverty and increasing access to education and healthcare. The global literacy rate has also increased from 77% in 1980 to 86% in 2016, with significant gains made in countries such as China and India. In addition, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of human rights, with many countries adopting new laws and policies to protect the rights of marginalized communities. For example, in 2020, the United States Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal, while around the same time, India decriminalized homosexuality. These positive developments indicate that progress is being made in advancing human rights worldwide, although there is still much work to be done to ensure that all people are able to live with dignity and freedom.