Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. It was the first international proclamation to define the basic rights and fundamental freedoms to which every human being is entitled. The document specifically lists many rights to which everyone throughout the world is entitled regardless of nationality, race, or gender. It includes civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.

After the atrocities of World War II (1939–45), the United Nations was formed as an international peace-keeping organization. Among other goals, the UN sought to promote human rights and freedoms. Such rights, however, were not clear within the original United Nations Charter . The UN Commission on Human Rights was given the task to define those rights and to direct UN policy on the subject.

Writing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was an international effort. The drafting committee included representatives from Canada, France, the United States, Lebanon, and China. The final document contains thirty articles listing specific rights, including the rights to life, liberty, and security, education, freedom of thought, and freedom from torture and inhumane treatment. The General Assembly ratified the Declaration with forty-eight votes in support, none opposing, and only eight abstentions (countries that did not vote). Considering the vast cultural, political, and social differences among the world's countries, the vote for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a resounding success.

The Declaration was meant to be a guiding force for the policies of each country and is not a legal document. It has come to represent, however, rights that each country should uphold for its citizens. As such, it is a powerful moral and diplomatic tool for pressuring states that violate the principles of the Declaration.

The International Bill of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was included with two other UN documents, the Optional Protocol and the International Covenants on Human Rights, to form the International Bill of Human Rights. The two Covenant documents were legally binding treaties: the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Covenants recognize the rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Under the Covenants, nations agree to respect, ensure, and take steps to improve those rights. The Covenants and the Optional Protocol became effective in 1976.

The standards set forth have also inspired other human-rights-oriented national legislation, international documents, and watch-dog organizations. In 1966 the International Human Rights Covenants gave legal force to the rights in the Universal Declaration and established monitoring procedures. There still are no means, however, for enforcing adherence to the standards of the Declaration.