Delivered by the SayPro Chief Research Officer- Patricia Tsebe
Good morning, colleagues, partners, stakeholders, and friends.
Today, we mark Human Rights Day—a day of reflection, recommitment, and above all, a day of truth. As the Chief Research Officer of SayPro, it is both a privilege and a responsibility to speak on behalf of our organization, one that places human dignity and evidence-based action at the heart of its mission.
At SayPro, we believe that data is not just numbers—it’s a mirror of lived experience. It tells us who is being left behind, whose voices are missing from decisions, and where injustice hides behind bureaucracy, systems, and silence. Research is not neutral—it is a tool for equity, for advocacy, and for justice.
This year’s Human Rights Day theme calls on us to recommit to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted 76 years ago. While much progress has been made, research across the world, including our own, still shows that too many communities remain excluded, marginalized, and unheard.
As researchers, we have a duty: to expose the gaps, to challenge the status quo, and to ensure that policies and interventions are informed by reality—not assumption. It is not enough to collect data. We must ask: Whose story are we telling? Whose pain are we documenting? And are we using what we learn to truly make a difference?
At SayPro, we conduct our research with one clear purpose: to inform solutions that uphold human rights, dignity, and inclusion. From education access to public health, from economic opportunity to digital equity, our research is rooted in the belief that everyone deserves to be seen, to be counted, and to be served.
And that begins with us.
So, on this Human Rights Day, I challenge every researcher, every analyst, every academic: Do not let your work sit on a shelf. Let it be a catalyst for change. Make sure your findings travel from the page to the people. And hold yourself accountable—not just to funders, but to the communities who trusted you with their stories.
To all of you who support SayPro’s mission—thank you. Let us move forward with integrity, curiosity, and the unshakable belief that truth can be a force for liberation.
Let us continue to do research not just about people, but with people, and for people.
Human rights are not abstract. They are measurable. They are visible. And they are worth fighting for—through every insight, every interview, and every action we take.
Thank you, and Happy Human Rights Day.
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