In Paris, France the United Nations General Assembly — only three years after its founding — adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on Dec. 10, 1948. A document that has since been translated into over 500 languages, it is one of humanity’s greatest achievements. The document, consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, has inspired human rights treaties across the world, making its way into many of the foundational building blocks of the world’s governments.
While the articles that make up the declaration are in no particular order, I find it fitting that the first one reads, “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.” The rights we are all endowed with, and outlined in the declaration, are not privileges. A privilege is something that can be taken away, but all human rights can never be stripped from an individual, even if just in the name of decency.
We are born with, not given, our rights, and no matter your “race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,” they cannot be taken away nor infringed upon as outlined within the declaration. I am showcasing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because we are not taught this in school — or at least I was not. The United States is one of the countries that not only aided in the drafting of the document, but still aims to uphold it.
Eleanor Roosevelt actually chaired the committee that drafted the declaration, representing the United States. During her time on the committee, she brought the influence of our Declaration of Independence to the drafting process as well. She believed in each individual being endowed with unalienable rights by their creator — rights no one could take away or manipulate.
American influence within the declaration can be seen everywhere, from “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression” in article 19, to “everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association” in article 20. So while the United States is not perfect, I am personally appreciative of the foundational protections set in place within our country, and that they have influenced documents such as the UDHR.
It is also important to understand that the declaration may not be entirely representative of the global population it serves. It was formulated and is formatted in a Western way, being focused heavily on the individual as opposed to the more Eastern, group-centered societies. This is especially evident in article 12 when it states that “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.” The idea of privacy and “honour” is quite individualistic, and this does not mean that this is a major flaw in the declaration as a whole. Rather, it is important to understand how the document is formulated.
Lastly, the declaration serves to ensure that each article and meaning behind every word is clear, and not to be taken out of context or serve an otherwise evil purpose. This is evident in its 30th and final article, which states that “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.”
I believe it is important for everyone to read and understand each article that can be found within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and know that these are rights that can be found in our own founding documents. To know the rights we are given once we enter this world makes us better at ensuring we keep them.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights- https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
Informational Video- https://youtu.be/5RR4VXNX3jA