 Seventy-five years ago, nations made a pledge radical in its simplicity and moral clarity. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Those words and the text they begin, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, were an extraordinary expression of optimism and faith in a world still reeling from the destruction of two World Wars and the barbarity of the Holocaust. Indeed, when the Declaration was drafted and adopted, the rights in enumerated were impossibly fragile. Yet today, these rights are woven into the very fabric of our societies. They're part of a compact that binds our global community. They set a standard for freedom, for justice, and human dignity. That progress is testimony of the vision and faith of the Declaration's drafters and the tenacity, courage, and heroism of the generations of human rights defenders who've held us to its promise since. On the 75th anniversary of the Declaration's signing, we have a growing responsibility to carry that progress forward, especially as voices increasingly challenge the universality of these fundamental rights, their relevance, their legitimacy. Today, the United States is making several pledges to build on our enduring and comprehensive work to defend and promote human rights. First, we will enhance our work to build strong societies that respect human rights, including through President Biden's Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal. We'll also expand our investment in programs to defend media freedom and the safety of journalists, to prevent and combat human rights violations, to protect human rights defenders, to promote accountability and the rule of law. Second, we will ensure human rights are upheld in our increasingly digital world. We're setting forth a national action plan to promote due diligence by businesses and to ensure that our government's own business operations uphold human rights, labor rights, and environmental rights. We'll take steps to help technology companies prevent their platforms from being used as staging grounds for attacks against human rights defenders and other members of civil society. Finally, we're committed to expanding our efforts to promote racial justice and address gender-based violence in the United States and around the world. Building on work we're doing through our special envoy for racial equity and justice and the White House's Gender Policy Council. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that a common understanding of rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance. So, too, is a common renewal of our commitment to defending those rights, to holding us to the standards we set together. As the drafters of the Declaration knew, human rights are universal, but respect for them still is not, even 75 years later. It's the obligation of all of us, governments, advocates, the United Nations, every individual, to continue the work to bring about a world where the inherent dignity of every person is honored and upheld. That's our mission, and that's why we're here today to reaffirm it.