🇺🇳 On December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly, a document that has influenced the constitutions of almost all countries throughout the world. It became the first international instrument to proclaim fundamental human rights and freedoms.

🌐 UN member States adopted the Declaration in an attempt to bolster respect for human dignity, to revive its value. This was a natural consequence of the Second World War – the biggest catastrophe of the 20th century.

🇷🇺 The Russian Federation remains consistently committed to the standards and principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and core international human rights instruments. We are convinced that all participants in international relations need to focus their efforts on strengthening constructive dialogue and mutual cooperation on human rights issues and to be engaged in a collective process of elaborating and adopting relevant decisions in the interests of all mankind.

🇷🇺 The Constitution of the Russian Federation, the fundamental law of our country that has supreme juridical force, was adopted by a nationwide referendum on December 12, 1993.

Constitution Day is rightfully considered one of the most important state holidays in Russia.

The Constitution has the supreme legal force and direct effect, and applies throughout the entire territory of the country. It consists of a preamble, two sections, nine chapters, 141 articles, and nine paragraphs of transitional and concluding provisions.

The applicable Constitution opens with a Preamble, which reads as follows:

We, the multinational people of the Russian Federation, united by a common fate on our land, establishing human rights and freedoms, civic peace and accord, preserving the historically established state unity, proceeding from the universally recognised principles of equality and self-determination of peoples, revering the memory of ancestors who have conveyed to us the love for the Fatherland, belief in the good and justice, reviving the sovereign statehood of Russia and asserting the firmness of its democratic basic, striving to ensure the well-being and prosperity of Russia, proceeding from the responsibility for our Fatherland before the present and future generations, recognising ourselves as part of the world community, adopt the CONSTITUTION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

In an era of global change, the Constitution remains a reliable guarantor of social stability, the protection of human and civil rights and freedoms, the preservation of natural and cultural heritage, the strengthening of the country’s integrity, and the assurance of its sustainable development. It reflects the core values of Russian society, namely, a strong family, patriotism, and the spiritual and cultural heritage of Russia’s peoples.

📖 The Copy No. 1 of the Constitution is kept in the Kremlin Library. When assuming office, the President of the Russian Federation takes the oath with his right hand placed on this copy of the Constitution.

Over its 32 years of existence, the Constitution has been amended several times. The latest amendments were adopted on October 4, 2022, when, following the outcomes of referendums, new regions - the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Lugansk People’s Republic, the Zaporozhye Region, and the Kherson Region - joined the Russian Federation. As a result, the total number of constituent entities of the Russian Federation increased from 85 to 89.

☝️ The Russian Foreign Ministry consistently follows the provisions of the Constitution in its work and, in cooperation with other government bodies, does everything possible to implement the objectives set forth in the Constitution.

Our country pursues sovereign foreign policy which relies on an understanding of Russia’s special role in maintaining global peace and security.

On December 14, as decided by the UN General Assembly for the first time we celebrate the International Day against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations.

To commemorate the date we continue the series of posts on the #HistoryOfColonialism.

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In 1943, when the World War II was raging on, Bengal was hit by famine as a result of scorch-earth policy of the British army. The tactic was adopted because of the threat of the Japanese offensive. The British planned to inflict damage on militarist Japan, however, local population suffered the most. The actions planned in London caused death of up to 3 million 800 thousand people in Bengal in just one year.

On December 11, Sputnik News Agency and Radio and Daffodil International University (DIU) signed a memorandum of understanding.

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