Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (also UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/217, December 10 1948 at Palais de Chaillot, Paris), outlining the organization's view on the human rights guaranteed to all people. It was referred to by Eleanor Roosevelt as "a Magna Carta for all mankind".

1 Creation
2 Structure and legal implications
3 Major principles
4 Trivia
5 References in Entertainment
6 Notes
7 See also
8 Further reading
9 External links

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Creation

After the atrocities committed during the Holocaust, there was a feeling amongst many in the UN that its United Nations Charter did not sufficiently clarify the rights it protected. It was decided that a universal declaration, fully articulating each right, was required. John Peters Humphrey of Canada was its principal drafter, after being called upon by the UN Secretariat. He was aided by Eleanor Roosevelt of the United States, René Cassin of France, Charles Malik of Lebanon, and P. C. Chang of China, among others. The vote in the General Assembly passed the declaration unanimously, but eight countries (the entire Soviet bloc and Saudi Arabia) chose to abstain.

"Universal Declaration of Human Rights, G.A. res. 217A (III), U.N. Doc A/810 at 71 (1948)."

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Structure and legal implications

The document is laid out in the familiar civil law tradition, including a preamble followed by thirty articles. As it was conceived as a statement of objectives to be followed by governments, it is not legally binding and there were therefore no signatories. The declaration does not form part of international law, but it is a powerful tool in applying diplomatic and moral pressure to governments, and it is customary to follow it. The 1968 United Nations International Conference on Human Rights decided 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-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.

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Major principles

There are a total of thirty articles outlining people's human rights, but the most important principles declared are considered to be the following:

The right to life, liberty and security of person.

The right to an education.

The right to participate fully in cultural life.

Freedom from torture or cruel, inhumane treatment or punishment.

Freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Freedom of expression and opinion.

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Trivia

The Guinness Book of Records (GBR) describes the UDHR as the "Most Translated Document" in the world, translated as of 2004 into 321 languages and dialects. Template:Fn Other works are more translated, however; for example, the Bible is also described in the GBR as "translated into 2,233 languages and dialects." Template:Fn Some of the translations available on the UNHCHR website contain unrectified mistakes.

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References in Entertainment

The rock band U2 projected the UDHR onto an enormous screen after performing their song Miss Sarajevo during their Vertigo 2005 world tour concerts. Their presentation also included individuals from around the world speaking selected articles of the UDHR. The Australian Wave Aid concerts following the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami featured a large banner containing certain articles of the UDHR.

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