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Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Eleanor Roosevelt with the Spanish version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Created	1948
Ratified	1948-12-10
Location
Authors	John Peters Humphrey, among others
Purpose	Human rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (abbreviated UDHR) is an advisory declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/217, 10 December 1948 at Palais de Chaillot, Paris). It consists of 30 articles which outline the view of the General Assembly on the human rights guaranteed to all people. The International Bill of Human Rights consists of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols. In 1966 the General Assembly adopted the two detailed Covenants which complete the International Bill of Human Rights; and in 1976, after the Covenants had been ratified by a sufficient number of individual nations, the Bill took on the force of international law.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Creation 3 Structure and legal implications 4 Praise and Criticism 4.1 Praise 4.2 Islamic criticism 4.3 Other criticism 5 Languages 6 References in culture 7 See also 7.1 Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of UDHR 7.2 Non-binding agreements 7.3 National human rights law 7.4 International human rights law 7.5 Other 8 Notes 9 Further reading 10 External links

Prior to the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, several countries had proclaimed comparable declarations. Examples include the Bill of Rights of England, the Bill of Rights in the United States, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in France.

Rights

Animal rights

Children's rights

Civil rights

Collective rights

Fathers' rights

Gay rights

Group rights

Human rights

Inalienable rights

Individual rights

Legal rights

Men's rights

Natural right

Negative & positive

Reproductive rights

Social rights

"Three generations"

Women's rights

Workers' rights

Youth rights This box: view • talk • edit

When the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany became apparent after the Second World War, the consensus within the world community was that the United Nations Charter did not sufficiently define the rights it referenced.^{[citation needed]} A universal declaration that specified the rights of individuals was necessary ^[2]. Canadian John Peters Humphrey was called upon by the United Nations Secretary-General to work on the project and became the Declaration's principal drafter. Humphrey was assisted by Eleanor Roosevelt of the United States, Jacques Maritain and René Cassin of France, Charles Malik of Lebanon, and P. C. Chang of the Republic of China, among others. The proclamation was ratified during the General Assembly on 10 December 1948 by a vote of 48 in favour, 0 against, with 8 abstentions (all Soviet Bloc states, South Africa and Saudi Arabia).^[3] Despite the central role played by Canadian John Humphrey, the Canadian Government at first abstained from voting on the Declaration's draft, but later voted in favour of the final draft in the General Assembly.^[4]

The document is laid out in the civil law tradition, including a preamble followed by thirty articles. It was conceived as a statement of objectives to be followed by governments. Some international lawyers believe that the Declaration forms part of customary international law and is a powerful tool in applying diplomatic and moral pressure to governments that violate any of its articles. The 1968 United Nations International Conference on Human Rights advised that it "constitutes an obligation for the members of the international community" to all persons. The declaration has served as the foundation for the original two legally non-binding UN human rights covenants, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It continues to be widely cited by academics, advocates, and constitutional courts.

• "Taken as a whole, the Delegation of the United States believes that this is a good document – even a great document – and we propose to give it our full support. [...] In giving our approval to the Declaration today it is of primary importance that we keep clearly in mind the basic character of the document. It is not a treaty; it is not an international agreement. It is not and does not purport to be a statement of law or of legal obligation. It is a Declaration of basic principles of human rights and freedoms[....] This Universal Declaration of Human Rights may well become the international Magna Carta of all men everywhere."

Eleanor Roosevelt, first chairwoman of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) that drafted the Declaration, ^[5] 9 December 1948.

• "For people of good will around the world, that document is more than just words: It's a global testament of humanity, a standard by which any humble person on Earth can stand in judgment of any government on Earth."

Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan (March 1989, US Department of State Bulletin)

• In a speech on 5 October 1995, Pope John Paul II called the UDHR "one of the highest expressions of the human conscience of our time".
• Statement by Marcello Spatafora on behalf of the European Union on 10 December 2003: "Over the past 55 years, humanity has made extraordinary progress in the promotion and protection of human rights thanks to the creative force generated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, undoubtedly one of the most influential documents in history. It is a remarkable document, full of idealism but also of determination to learn lessons from the past and not to repeat the same mistakes. Most importantly, it placed human rights at the centre of the framework of principles and obligations shaping relations within the international community."

• Predominantly Islamic countries, like Sudan, Pakistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, frequently criticized the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for its perceived failure to take into the the account the cultural and religious context of non-Western countries. In 1981, the Iranian representative to the United Nations, Said Rajaie-Khorassani, articulated the position of his country regarding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by saying that the UDHR was "a secular understanding of the Judeo-Christian tradition", which could not be implemented by Muslims without trespassing the Islamic law.^[6]

• There are 57 Muslim nations who are members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference^[7]. On 30 June 2000, the OIC officially resolved to support the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam^[8], an alternative document that says people only have "freedom and right to a dignified life in accordance with the Islamic Shari’ah"^[9].

• Jeane Kirkpatrick, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, argued that certain economic rights cannot be human rights, Kirkpatrick called the Declaration "a letter to Santa Claus",^[10] saying "Neither nature, experience, nor probability informs these lists of 'entitlements', which are subject to no constraints except those of the mind and appetite of their authors."^[11]

• Some conservatives believe that economic rights must be provided by others through forceful extraction, for example taxation, and that they negate other peoples' inalienable rights.^[12]

• Sometimes specific provisions are singled out for criticism because of their content. For example, Article 26 promotes the ideal of free universal education, and is sometimes derided as "the right to force someone else to pay for my child's education."^{[citation needed]} The right to hold property in common with others is sometimes opposed by anti-corporate activists. The right to marry outside of your caste or clan is opposed by many segregationists.

The Guinness Book of Records describes the UDHR as the "Most Translated Document"^[13] in the world.

The Declaration is quoted on the back of the Canadian fifty-dollar bill.

The rock band U2 projected the UDHR onto an enormous screen after performing their song "Miss Sarajevo", and "Running to Stand Still" during their Vertigo tour. Their presentation also included individuals from around the world speaking selected articles of the UDHR. The full UDHR was used during the European and South American legs whilst an edited version was used for audiences in the United States.

The Australian Wave Aid concerts following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami featured a large banner containing certain articles of the UDHR.

• UDHR 60 Connecticut Conference - December 2008

• Cyrus Cylinder, Ancient Persia, 559-530 BC
• United States Declaration of Independence, July 1776
• Declaration of Sentiments, 1848
• Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, 1990
• Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, 1993
• United Nations Millennium Declaration, 2000

• Cáin Adomnáin, 697
• Magna Carta, England, 1215
• English Bill of Rights and Scottish Claim of Right, 1689
• Virginia Declaration of Rights, June 1776
• United States Bill of Rights, completed in 1789, approved in 1791
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, France 1789
• Constitution of the Soviet Union, first 1918
• Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982

• European Convention on Human Rights, 1950
• Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1954
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 1969
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1976
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1976
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 1981
• Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1990
• Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, 2000

• Command responsibility
• Declaration on Great Apes, an as-yet unsuccessful effort to extend some human rights to great apes
• John Peters Humphrey & film PSA Histori.ca short

v • d • e Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
General Principles	Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. · Article 2: Universality of rights · Article 28: Right to social or international order allowing human rights to be realised · Article 29.1: Duties to the community · Article 29.2: Limitations of human rights · Article 29.3: That these rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. · Article 30: Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Civil and Political Rights. Treaty: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights	Article 3: Right to life, liberty and security of person · Article 4: Freedom from slavery · Article 5: Freedom from torture · Article 6: Right to recognition as a person before the law · Article 7: Right to equailty before the law · Article 8: Right to effective remedy from the law · Article 9: Freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention · Article 10: Right to fair trial · Article 11.1: Presumption of innocence · Article 11.2:Prohibition of resprospective law · Article 12: Right to Privacy · Article 13: Freedom of movement · Article 14: Right of asylum · Article 15: Right to a nationality · Article 16: Right to marriage & family life · Article 17: Right to own property · Article 18: Freedom of thought · Article 18: Freedom of religion · Article 19: Freedom of opinion and expression · Article 20.1: Freedom of assembly · Article 20.2: Freedom of association · Article 21.1 Right to participation in government · Article 21.2 Right to equal access to public service · Article 21.3 Right to universal suffrage
Social, Cultural and Economic Rights. Treaty:International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights See also: Labor rights	Article 22: Right to social security · Article 23.1: Right to work · Article 23.2: Right to equal pay for equal work · Article 23.3: Right to just remuneration See also: Minimum wage  · Article 23.4: Right to join a trade union · Article 24: Right to rest & leisure See also: Working time and Eight-hour day · Article 25.1: Right to an adequate standard of living · Article 25.2: Right to special care and assistance for mothers and children See also: Convention on the Rights of the Child · Article 26.1: Right to education See also: Compulsory education · Article 26.2: Direction of education · Article 26.3: Right to choice of education · Article 27.1: Right to participate in culture · Article 27.2 Right to intellectual property

• Johannes Morsink, "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Origins, Drafting & Intent" (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999).
• John Nurser, "For All Peoples and All Nations. Christian Churches and Human Rights.". (Geneva: WCC Publications, 2005).

• Text of the UDHR (English)
• Text of the UDHR at The Ring of Peace
• Official translations of the UDHR
• Librivox: Human-read audio recordings in several Languages
• Questions and answers about the Universal Declaration
• WORLD CONFERENCES ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND MILLENNIUM DECLARATION
• Text, Audio, and Video excerpt of Eleanor Roosevelt's Address to the United Nations on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Proposal for a Privacy Protection Guideline on Secret Personal Data Gathering and Transborder Flows of Such Data in the Fight against Terrorism and Serious Crime by Marcel Stuessi
• UDHR - Education
• Revista Envío - A Declaration of Human Rights For the 21st Century