http://www.udhr.org/UDHR/udhr.htm
Whereas
recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable
rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of
freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas
disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted
in barbarous acts which have outraged the
conscience
of mankind, and the
advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and
belief
and
freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest
aspiration of the common people,
Whereas
it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a
last resort, to rebellion against
tyranny
and oppression, that human
rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas
it is essential to promote the development of friendly
relations between nations,
Whereas
the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in
fundamental human rights,
in
the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and
women and have determined to
promote
social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas
Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with
the United Nations, the
promotion
of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental
freedoms,
Whereas
a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest
importance for the full realization
of
this pledge,
Now, therefore,
proclaims
as
a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the
end that every individual and every
organ
of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by
teaching and education to promote
respect
for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and
international, to secure their
universal
and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member
States themselves and
among
the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
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
Everyone
is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration,
without distinction of any kind,
such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Furthermore,
no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or
international status of the
country
or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust,
non-self-governing or under any
other
limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3
Everyone
has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4
No
one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all
their forms.
Article 5
No
one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment.
Article 6
Everyone
has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7
All
are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal
protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any
discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to
such discrimination.
Article 8
Everyone
has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for
acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9
No
one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair
and public hearing by an independent and impartial
tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any
criminal charge against him.
Article 11
(1)
Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent
until proved guilty according to
law
in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his
defence.
(2)
No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission
which did not constitute a
penal
offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was
committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty
be
imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was
committed.
Article 12
No
one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home
or correspondence, nor to
attacks
upon his honour and reputation.
Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such
interference
or attacks.
Article 13
(1)
Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within
the borders of each State.
(2)
Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to
return to his country.
Article 14
(1)
Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from
persecution.
(2)
This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising
from non-political crimes or from
acts
contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15
(1)
Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2)
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to
change his nationality.
Article 16
(1)
Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or
religion, have the right to marry
and
to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during
marriage and at its dissolution.
(2)
Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the
intending spouses.
(3)
The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled
to protection by society and the
State.
Article 17
(1)
Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with
others.
(2)
No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18
Everyone
has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right
includes freedom to change his
religion
or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public
or private, to manifest his
religion
or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19
Everyone
has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom
to hold opinions without
interference
and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and
regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
(1)
Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2)
No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21
(1)
Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly
or through freely chosen
representatives.
(2)
Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in his country.
(3)
The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this
will shall be expressed in periodic
and
genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be
held by secret vote or by
equivalent
free voting procedures.
Article 22
Everyone,
as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to
realization, through national
effort
and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and
resources of each State, of the
economic,
social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free
development of his personality.
Article 23
(1)
Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment,
to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against
unemployment.
(2)
Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for
equal work.
(3)
Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration
ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and
supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4)
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection
of his interests.
Article 24
Everyone
has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working
hours and periodic holidays
with
pay.
Article 25
(1)
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and
well-being of himself and of his family,
including
food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the
right to security in the
event
of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of
livelihood in circumstances
beyond
his control.
(2)
Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All
children, whether born in or out of
wedlock,
shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26
(1)
Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the
elementary and fundamental stages.
Elementary
education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be
made generally available
and
higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2)
Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality
and to the strengthening of respect
for
human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding,
tolerance and friendship among all
nations,
racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United
Nations for the maintenance of
peace.
(3)
Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given
to their children.
Article 27
(1)
Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the
community, to enjoy the arts and to share in
scientific
advancement and its benefits.
(2)
Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests
resulting from any scientific, literary
or
artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28
Everyone
is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and
freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29
(1)
Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full
development of his personality is
possible.
(2)
In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to
such limitations as are determined
by
law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the
rights and freedoms of others and of
meeting
the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a
democratic society.
(3)
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.
G.A. res. 217A (III), U.N. Doc A/810 at 71
(1948)
by the General Assembly of the United
Nations (without dissent)
The below article is from Amnesty International.
Some 50 years have elapsed since the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the
United Nations on 10 December 1948. The
Declaration was one of the first major achievements of the
United Nations, and after 50 years remains a
powerful instrument which continues to exert an
enormous effect on people's lives all over
the world. This was the first time in history that a document
considered to have universal value was
adopted by an international organization. It was also the first
time that human rights and fundamental
freedoms were set forth in such detail. There was
broad-based international support for the
Declaration when it was adopted. It represented "a world
milestone in the long struggle for human
rights", in the words of a UN General Assembly
representative from France.
The adoption of the Universal Declaration
stems in large part from the strong desire for peace in the
aftermath of the Second World War. Although
the 58 Member States which formed the United
Nations at that time varied in their
ideologies, political systems and religious and cultural backgrounds
and had different patterns of socio-economic
development, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
represented a common statement of goals and
aspirations -- a vision of the world as the international
community would want it to become.
Since 1948, the Universal Declaration has
been translated into more than 200 languages and remains
one of the best known and most often cited
human rights documents in the world. Over the years,
the Declaration has been used in the defense
and advancement of people's rights. Its principles have
been enshrined in and continue to inspire
national legislation and the constitutions of many newly
independent states. References to the
Declaration have been made in charters and resolutions of
regional intergovernmental organizations as
well as in treaties and resolutions adopted by the United
Nations system.
The year 1998 marks the fiftieth anniversary
of this "Magna Carta for all humanity." The theme of the
fiftieth anniversary--"All Human Rights
for All"-- highlights the universality, the indivisibility and the
interrelationship of all human rights. It
reinforces the idea that human rights--civil, cultural, economic,
political and social--should be taken in
their totality and not disassociated from one another.
Drafting and adopting the Declaration, a
long and arduous task
When created in 1946, the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights was composed of 18
Member States. During its first sessions, the
main item on the agenda was the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights. The Commission set up a
drafting committee which devoted itself exclusively to
preparing the draft of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. The drafting committee was
composed of eight persons, from Australia,
Chile, China, France, Lebanon, the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom and
the United States of America. The United Nations
Secretariat, under the guidance of John
Humphrey, drafted the outline (400 pages in length) to serve
as the basic working paper of the Committee.
During the two-year drafting process of the
Universal Declaration, the drafters maintained a common
ground for discussions and a common goal:
respect for fundamental rights and freedoms. Despite
their conflicting views on certain questions,
they agreed to include in the document the principles of
non-discrimination, civil and political
rights, and social and economic rights. They also agreed that the
Declaration had to be universal.
Personally dedicated to the task of preparing
this Declaration, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, who chaired
the Human Rights Commission in its first
years, asked, "Where, after all, do universal human rights
begin? In small places, close to home -- so
close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps
of the world. Yet they are the world of the
individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the
school or college he attends; the factory,
farm or office where he works. Such are the places where
every man, woman and child seeks equal
justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without
discrimination. Unless these rights have
meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without
concerned citizen action to uphold them close
to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger
world."
On 10 December 1948, at the Palais de
Chaillot in Paris, the 58 Member States of the United Nations
General Assembly adopted the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, with 48 states in favour and
eight abstentions (two countries were not
present at the time of the voting). General Assembly
resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948,
which proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, was adopted as follows: In favour:
Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil,
Burma, Canada, Chile, China,Colombia, Costa
Rica, Cuba, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Egypt, El Salvador,Ethiopia, France, Greece,
Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon,
Liberia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Siam (Thailand),
Sweden, Syria, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States,
Uruguay, Venezuela. Abstaining: Byelorussian
SSR, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian
SSR, Union of South Africa, USSR, Yugoslavia.
The General Assembly proclaimed the Declaration as a
"common standard of achievement for all
peoples and all nations", towards which individuals and
societies should "strive by progressive
measures, national and international, to secure their universal
and effective recognition and
observance".
The Declaration, a vision of what the
world should be
Although the Declaration, which comprises a
broad range of rights, is not a legally binding document,
it has inspired more than 60 human rights
instruments which together constitute an international
standard of human rights. These instruments
include the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights and the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which are
legally binding treaties. Together with the
Universal Declaration, they constitute the International Bill
of Rights.
The Declaration recognizes that the
"inherent dignity of all members of the human family is the
foundation of freedom, justice and peace in
the world" and is linked to the recognition of fundamental
rights towards which every human being
aspires, namely the right to life, liberty and security of
person; the right to an adequate standard of
living; the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries
asylum from persecution; the right to own
property; the right to freedom of opinion and expression;
the right to education, freedom of thought,
conscience and religion; and the right to freedom from
torture and degrading treatment, among
others. These are inherent rights to be enjoyed by all
human beings of the global village -- men,
women and children, as well as by any group of society,
disadvantaged or not -- and not
"gifts" to be withdrawn, withheld or granted at someone's whim or
will.
Mary Robinson, who became the second United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in
September 1997, expressed this opinion when
she declared that "human rights belong to people,
human rights are about people on the ground
and their rights". She has stated that she would take a
"bottom-up" approach in promoting
human rights, an approach which reflects the first words of the
United Nations Charter, "We the
Peoples".
The rights contained in the Declaration and
the two covenants were further elaborated in such legal
documents as the International Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,
which declares dissemination of ideas based
on racial superiority or hatred as being punishable by law;
the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women, covering measures
to be taken for eliminating discrimination
against women in political and public life, education,
employment, health, marriage and family; and
the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which lays
down guarantees in terms of the child's human
rights.
International mobilization in favour of the
Declaration: Government commitment
At the World Conference on Human Rights held
in Vienna (Austria) in June 1993, 171 countries
reiterated the universality, indivisibility
and interdependence of human rights, and reaffirmed their
commitment to the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. They adopted the Vienna Declaration and
Programme of Action, which provides the new
"framework of planning, dialogue and cooperation", to
enable a holistic approach to promoting human
rights and involving actors at the local, national and
international levels. The five-year review of
the Vienna Programme of Action will also take place in
1998. This review provides a substantive
dimension to the fiftieth anniversary, which many human
rights activists and professionals see as a
time for States to renew their commitment to the
promotion and protection of human rights.
It is a time for Governments to ensure that
the rights set forth in the Declaration are reflected in their
national legislation and to move to ratify
those international human rights treaties that are still
pending. Governments could consider
formulating and implementing a pro-active strategy in favour of
the promotion of and respect for human
rights. This could be translated into action by adopting
national plans of action for advancing human
rights and fostering human rights education. This
anniversary also provides the opportunity for
more countries not only to condemn blatant violations
of human rights but also to take
responsibility and action to break the cycle of impunity whenever
human rights are violated.
Public awareness campaign
The fiftieth anniversary is a time to promote
public awareness of the meaning of the Universal
Declaration and its relevance to our daily
lives. Providing information about human rights in the
languages understood by peoples everywhere is
one aspect of a global public awareness campaign.
Falling during the Decade for Human Rights
Education (1995-2004), the anniversary also provides
another focus for education and action. In
addition to the 200 language versions already available, a
number of other local language translations
are to be released for the fiftieth anniversary.
The fiftieth anniversary of the Universal
Declaration is an opportunity for people worldwide to
commemorate the adoption of this landmark
document. It also represents an opportunity to mobilize
all strata of society in a reinvigorated and
broad-based human rights movement. The involvement of
civil society and non-governmental
organizations in fighting for and demanding recognition of basic
rights has played a central role in the
advancement and promotion of human rights around the world.
National Committees have already been set up
in many countries, with the aim of undertaking
activities to mark the Anniversary.
Grass-roots movements to encourage entire
communities to know, demand and defend their rights
will send a positive and strong message: that
people everywhere are adamant that human rights
should be respected. At local level,
concerned citizens can approach their congressional or
parliamentary representatives and ask their
Governments to ratify international human rights treaties
if they have yet not done so.
The United Nations
In accordance with the recommendations made
at the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights for
increased coordination within the United
Nations system, Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United
Nations, stated, "I will be a champion
of human rights and will ensure that human rights are fully
integrated in the action of the Organization
in all other domains". Human rights, indeed, cut across all
the work of the United Nations, from
peacekeeping, child rights, health and development to the rights
of indigenous peoples to education, social
development and the eradication of poverty. Consultations
have already taken place among all agencies
and programmes of the United Nations, leading to
strategies and campaigns being devised.
Challenges
Since the inception of the United Nations,
the promotion and protection of human rights have been at
its very core. Reference to the promotion of
and respect for human rights was made in Article 1 of
the United Nations Charter and in the
establishment of a commission for the promotion of human
rights, mentioned in Article 68 of the
Charter. Over the years, the United Nations has created a wide
range of mechanisms for monitoring human
rights violations. Conventional mechanisms (treaty
bodies) and extra-conventional mechanisms (UN
special rapporteurs, representatives, experts and
working groups) have been established in
order to monitor compliance of States parties with the
various human rights instruments and to
investigate allegations of human rights abuses. In recent
years, a number of field offices have been
opened at the request of Governments, inter alia, to assist
in the development of national institutions
for the promotion and protection of human rights and to
conduct education campaigns on human rights.
Challenges still lie ahead, despite many
accomplishments in the field of human rights. Many in the
international community believe that human
rights, democracy and development are intertwined.
Unless human rights are respected, the
maintenance of international peace and security and the
promotion of economic and social development
cannot be achieved. The world is still plagued with
incidents of ethnic hatred and acts of
genocide. People are still victims of xenophobic attitudes, are
subjected to discrimination because of
religion or gender and suffer from exclusion. Around the
world, millions of people are still denied
food, shelter, access to medical care, education and work, and
too many live in extreme poverty. Their
inherent humanity and dignity are not recognized.
The future of human rights lies in our hands.
We must all act when human rights are violated. States
as well as the individual must take
responsibility for the realization and effective protection of human
rights.
Published by the United Nations Department of
Public Information.
December 1997