Standing Up For Utah’s Needs 2015 Report
This report deals with issues in our Declaration of Human Rights - Transparent and Ethical Government, Education, Health, Social & Community Support, Healthy Environment, Violence Prevention, and Dignity and Respect.
Issues covered in this Report:
Democratic Governance: Pg 4 & 37 (Previously titled “Participatory Governance”)
Education: Pg 4 & 20
Environment: Pg 4 & 12 (Previously titled Environmental Health”)
Equal Rights & Dignity: Pg 4 & 6 (Previously titled “Equal Dignity & Respect”)
Health: Pg 4 & 26
Immigration: Pg 7
Social & Community Supports: Pg 4 & 42 (Previously titled “Social & Community Supports”)
Violence Prevention: Pg 4 & 37 (Previously titled “Personal Safety”)
Download our Full Report (PDF) »
December 2015
Dear Fellow Utahns,
The Utah Citizens' Counsel's Declaration of Utah Human Rights on the previous page expresses our belief that the strength of our society depends on fundamental fairness and equal opportunity for all those who live in our increasingly diverse State. We are a group of seniors from all political persuasions--Republican, Democrat, Independent, unaffiliated, and somewhere in between. We believe that meeting the challenges that face us requires joint action by government, nonprofits, religious groups, families, and individuals. While valuing our tradition of self-reliance, we realize that only by working together can we successfully address seemingly intractable problems.
Last year's annual assessment of Utah's policy progress addressed five of the seven basic human rights in our Declaration. This year's report deals with all seven. The human rights framework shapes our approach to public policy. We aim for accuracy in our presentation of the facts, respect for democratic dialogue, and common understanding of what unites us as Utahns.
Recommendations in our seven reports point to the kind of community we want for all Utahns. Readers will notice that many of this year's reports dovetail, reflecting the relationship of one human right to another. For instance, reducing poverty enhances educational opportunity, improves health, and strengthens personal security. In turn, the achievement of good health depends not solely on medical care but on clean air, clean water, and social systems that encourage the adoption of good health habits. Human rights form a chain with many links.
We hope that you will want to read our entire 2015 assessment of various policy topics that relate to human rights, but the individual committee reports can also stand alone. We welcome constructive feedback to help us advance our goals and policy preferences.
Sincerely,
Sheryl Allen
Robert (Archie) Archuleta
John Bennion
Kim Burningham
Aileen Clyde
Michael Deily
Irene Fisher
Nancy Haanstad
Dixie Huefner
Robert Huefner
Louise Knauer
Cheryll May
Stewart Olsen
Dee Rowland
Andrew Schoenberg
Michael Stapley
M. Donald Thomas
With volunteer staff support from David Carrier, University of Utah