As we look to the dawn of a new decade in 2020 and the “Best [insert noun] of the 2010s” listicles start cluttering our news feeds, let’s take a collective breath together.

Defending human rights is not easy—for many it’s a matter of survival, a daily battle to realize the most basic right to life.  For others it can be the privilege of a full-time job, driven by the mission to stand alongside those on the frontlines of the war against injustice.

Yet when corrupt governments strangle the lungs of our earth so they can’t breathe for us, when populist misinformation bolsters the inhumane treatment of migrants, and when our strongest and fiercest defenders are murdered instead of rewarded for their bravery: our fight gets even harder.

This is why, when the UDHR turned 70 last year, we celebrated by changing the conversation to hope. To a global conversation full of powerful voices coming together as a community to counter the news barraging our notifications of all the ways the world was stepping backwards instead of forwards.

From trailblazing women parliamentarians to small yet mighty children who will carry on the fight, activists from more than 20 countries shared their messages of hope with us and with millions of people around the world! And it stayed with us. We all started the year with a renewed inspiration to keep fighting and with immense gratitude to be connected with such a powerful global movement.

So this December on Human Rights Day, we ask you to help us inspire even more people. In this year and decade, what image keeps you fighting for human rights?

Tell us about someone or something that has given you strength in those difficult moments: a community leader, a movement that has persisted, a win in courts or on the streets.  Join the conversation by sharing your video or image on social media – here’s how to join from your corner of the world:

#Video4Change #UDHR71 #StandUp4HumanRights

Because hope, in these times, can be the most powerful act of resistance!

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