The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was prepared by a commission of the United Nations (UN) between 1946 and 1948. It came into force after a UN General Assembly held in 1948. This document is composed of 30 articles, which determine the basic rights that every human being must have, regardless of race, religion, social position , gender, etc.
The UDHR is of fundamental importance, as it helped to consolidate the idea of human rights, strengthening an activism that works in the search for improvements for humanity and in the fight against inequalities.
Development of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted in 1946 in a context related to events that took place during the Second World War. Among the remarkable episodes of the greatest conflict in human history are the Holocaust and the dropping of atomic bombs on two Japanese cities.
The drafting of the UDHR took place at the same time that Nazis who had committed wartime crimes were tried in the military court mounted in Nuremberg. During the months of this court's operation, details of how the Germans killed six million Jews were being unraveled. Thus, the world became aware of the horrors of the Holocaust.
Also see: Learn about the history of Nazi death squads.
It was in this context that the great authorities of the world, through the recently created United Nations, decided to organize a document that enumerated basic rights for all humanity. Such an initiative was intended to prevent genocide and other horrors that were committed in the war from happening again.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights Drafting Committee
The UDHR was prepared by a committee formed from a secretariat organized by the UN, which was responsible for dealing with issues related to human rights. The main body of this committee consisted of nine people of influence, such as diplomats and jurists, and was led by Eleanor Roosevelt , US Ambassador to the UN.
The main members of this committee were:Eleanor Roosevelt (United States), Peng Chun Chang (Taiwan), Charles Dukes (United Kingdom), Alexander Bogomolov (Soviet Union), John Peters ( Canada), Hernán Santa Cruz (Chile), René Cassin (France), William Hodgson (Australia) and Charles Malik (Lebanon).
After the drafting committee finalized the work, the declaration was taken for approval by UN member states. The ratification of the document took place through Resolution 217 , which was issued during a General Assembly, in 1948. In all, of the 58 delegations that voted, 48 voted in favour , 8 abstained from voting and 2 delegations did not vote.
How many countries have signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Currently, the UN comprises a total of 193 member countries, all signatories of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . Brazil, in addition to being part of this group of countries, was one of the first nations to ratify the document, being one of the 48 countries that voted in favor of the UDHR during the 1948 Assembly.
What does the Universal Declaration of Human Rights say?
The UDHR contains a total of 30 articles, that address issues relating to the basic rights of all human beings. Among the various issues that the declaration addresses are issues related to religious freedom, freedom of expression, the right to property and condemnation of practices such as torture and slavery.
The first article, considered the basis of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, states the following:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and must act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
At first, this article was prepared using the expression “all men”, which was replaced by “all human beings” in order to prevent its content from being manipulated by questions concerning to gender. The way in which the sentence of this article was constructed conveys the idea that human dignity comes before rights.
It is important to mention that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also addresses issues related to work by stating that every human being has the right to freely seek employment that offers them fair and favorable conditions. The document also speaks of the human being's right to have paid vacations and access to leisure and culture.
Also see: Discover the history of one of the first major conflicts that took place after the Second World War.
Challenges for the future
It cannot be denied that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a step forward for humanity. It is also undeniable that humanity still has a long way to go when it comes to building a humanitarian and just society.
Despite all advances, daily we still come across news that deal with the practice of torture, massacres and terrorist attacks in different parts of the planet. In addition, millions of people are still subjected to slavery, sexual abuse and millions more are persecuted for their sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, etc.
Our own country is included in this reality, since millions of Brazilians currently suffer from hunger, water shortages and lack of better job opportunities. Furthermore, it is important to mention that torture was a practice openly used by representatives of power in a recent period of our country's history.
Therefore, it is extremely important that the UDHR is defended, as it is a fundamental document in the fight for a better, fairer and more equal future for all.
*Image credits:Alexandros Michailidis and Shutterstock