International Human Rights Days

On September 2, 1945, after six years of what has been recognized as one of the most epic struggles for freedom and liberation in history, World War II officially came to an end — though not without the loss of millions of lives. Approximately 70 to 85 million people died, with an estimated 20 million soldiers and 40 million civilians. Today, every year from May 8-9, the United Nations observes the Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, in the continuous spirit of honoring the countless lives lost to a war that forever changed the world.

For the two days of remembrance and reconciliation, it is important to highlight the sacrifices that gave us them to begin with. Soldiers from the Allied Forces beside one another stepped up to achieve a greater good in a fight to defeat the evil of Nazism and Fascism. Despite their overwhelming mobilization against the Axis Powers, it was not enough for the fighting to immediately end. From Europe to Africa to the Pacific, the duration of the war resulted in the deaths of millions of soldiers from the Allied forces. Their strength, their courage, and their drive to eradicate the ideologies that plagued the world were not in vain and did not come without sacrifice.

With the reality of war and the unfathomable misery it brings, the innocent are the ones who suffer the most. Civilian fatalities accounted for 60 to 67 percent of the total deaths in World War II. These deaths were caused by war-related diseases and famine, but most tragically by war crimes and atrocities the world had yet to see. The Holocaust, perpetrated by Nazi Germany, saw the systematic genocide and mass murder of 17 million people that included Polish people, Romani and Sinti people, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, Soviet civilians and POWs, and Jews. Over 6 million Jews were murdered in the extermination camps, resulting in the deaths of two-thirds of all Jews in Europe and one-third of the world’s total Jewish population.

World War II undeniably forever changed the landscape of the world and paved the way for stronger international systems and cooperation. However, since the end of the war, the fight for the prevention of wars and the death of innocents continues. From Ukraine to Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Middle East, armed conflict and the violation of human rights persist into 2025. With these two days of remembrance and reconciliation, it is important to recognize that the fight to prevent war must equate with the promotion of peace and the unequivocal defense of human rights.

Sources

Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, 8-9 May

The Holocaust - Statistics & Facts

Estimated number of military and civilian fatalities due to the Second World War per country or region between 1939 and 1945

Conflicts worldwide 2025 - statistics & facts

Written by Oscar Daniel Jimenez Iniguez for Yonsei GSIS Human Rights Hub