World Freedom Day, 2010

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8599 of November 8, 2010

World Freedom Day, 2010

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The Berlin Wall once stood as a painful barrier between
family and friends, a dark symbol of oppression and
stifled liberties. On November 9, 1989, in a powerful
affirmation of freedom, Germans from both sides of the
wall joined to tear down the hated blockade. World
Freedom Day commemorates the end of this icon of
division; celebrates the courageous resolve of
individuals who insisted upon a better future for
themselves and their country; and marks the
reunification of a city, a nation, and a people. This
cherished day also calls upon us to reflect on our
world anew and recognize that the work of freedom is
never finished.

Our world has become increasingly interconnected, and
more prosperous, cooperative, and free. We stand at a
transformational moment in history, where there is
tremendous potential not only to tear down walls, but
also to build bridges between people separated by
geography, cultures, and beliefs. Across the world, we
have seen the power of the ballot box and the desire of
people to break through artificial barriers and work to
implement solutions to common challenges. Civil society
and governments are coming together as never before to
promote liberty, share knowledge, and protect human
dignity.

With enduring bonds forged across decades, the
democracies that emerged one by one from behind the
Iron Curtain are now America's allies and partners, and
today we jointly confront global challenges. Examples
of the strength of conviction, these sovereign nations
inspire all who still yearn to exercise their universal
human rights. The 21st anniversary of the fall of the
Berlin Wall is an occasion to renew our common
commitment to advance the cause of world freedom in the
21st century.

The arc of history has shown that human destiny is what
we make of it. Freedom has expanded across the globe
because principled men and women have marched, spoken
out, and demanded the rights and dignity that should be
enjoyed by all humanity. Those nations that have
already secured these liberties share a responsibility
to uphold the light of freedom in other countries as
well as in their own. On World Freedom Day, we
rededicate ourselves to supporting democracy and the
rule of law, to strengthening civil society, and to
promoting the free exchange of information around the
world. United in common purpose, we will continue to
work towards the promise of a brighter future and a
time when all peoples and nations enjoy the hope and
peace of freedom.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim November 9, 2010, as
World Freedom Day. I call upon the people of the United
States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies
and activities, reaffirming our dedication to freedom
and democracy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord two
thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.