What are human rights?
The United Nations answered this question for us with The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): a document drafted by representatives from all regions of the world. Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, it set “a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations”.
For the first time, the fundamental human rights to be universally protected were set out, and are now available in over 500 languages.
The History of the UDHR
In September 1945, World War II came to an end after six years of bloodshed. It is the war that had the highest death toll ever, wiping out 3% of the world population at the time.
World War II holds that distinction because of the targeted extermination of civilian populations. Civilian deaths from the Holocaust, crimes against humanity, strategic bombing, and population transfers are estimated between 19,000,000 and 30,000,000. Civilian deaths from war-related diseases and famine were between 19,000,000 and 25,000,000.
Over half of the fatalities in World War 2 were civilians, not soldiers.
It was in the aftermath of this brutality that the United Nations was founded in October 1945, tasked with maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and achieving international co-operation. Today, the actions of the UN fall under five categories: maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international law.
With the horrors of World War 2 in mind, the international community vowed to never let such atrocities happen again. In the first session of the UN General Assembly in 1946, they began efforts to create what would become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Commission on Human Rights, responsible for the formal drafting of the document, was chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt and included 18 members from various cultural, political, and religious backgrounds.
In less than two years, a complete draft was composed and proposed to the General Assembly. On 10 December 1948, the General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with eight nations abstaining from the vote, but none of over 50 Member States at the time dissenting.
The Articles of the UDHR
The UDHR contains 30 articles listing key civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. Articles 3 through 21 outline civil and political rights. Articles 22 through 27 cover economic, social, and cultural rights.
In the coming weeks, we here at Addressing Freedom will be covering each of these articles in detail. As we explain each of the articles, we will include, where possible, information on how these human rights are abused today and how governments and other organizations are working to protect these rights.