Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) lays down the basic tenets, that all human beings, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, gender or status, are given basic rights and fundamental freedoms.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal declaration on December 10th 1948 as a direct response to the Second World War. Forty-eight countries voted for the declaration with zero against. Eight countries failed to vote including for example the Soviet Union, People’s Republic of Poland, Ukrainian SSR, Czechoslovakia, Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Honduras and The Peoples Federal Republic Of Yugoslavia.
The UDHR was the first global document to assert the rights of individuals. The UDHR lay down the foundations for a number of past and present legally binding international human rights treaties, legal principles and domesticated law. It is now the most translated document in the world and is seen as the backbone of a civilised society.
The Structure
Articles 1 and 2 enshrine the primary fundamental principles of equality, dignity, and freedom without discrimination.
The basic structure of the UDHR can then be understood in four sections.
Articles 3 to 11 sets outs the rights of for human beings. Articles 6 to 11 focus on the legitimacy of human rights such as the right to recognition everywhere as a person of the law (Article 8)
Articles 12 to 17 sets out the rights of human beings in society (political and civil)
Articles 18 to 21 sets outs the rights of political freedoms, such as the freedom of peaceful assembly and association, the right of religion and the rights to freedom of opinion.
Article 22 to 27 concerns economic, social and cultural rights such as the right to be a member of society (Art 22), the right to work (Art 23) and everyone has the right to freely participation in cultural life of their community.
The final three Articles concern the duty an individual has to society, for example, noting the prohibition of any activity aimed at destructing any of the rights set forth in the declaration.