“We were wondering: how can we empower more people to stand up for human rights?" said UN Human Rights Regional Representative Birgit Van Hout. With the support of the EU’s Development arm (DEVCO), the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe set out to prepare a user-friendly tool explaining the basics of human rights in an easy-to-understand manner and format.

Initially conceptualized as a resource for DEVCO staff in Brussels and in EU delegations around the world to contribute to the EU's human rights-based approach to development, “Making a Difference: An Introduction to Human Rights” can be read by any person interested in learning more about human rights.

“Since legal terminology was deliberately avoided, we hope the book will be particularly useful for readers without a legal background,” said Van Hout. Persons already familiar with human rights in turn may enjoy digging deeper into the case studies, the linkages between human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals, or regional human rights protection systems.

The manual can be downloaded in English, French, Spanish, and Duch (for the sake of the environment, please think before printing).