About the UDHR

What is exactly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)? It is a short text from 1948 that has become world famous. It is the most translated document in the world. It's not a law, but it's perhaps even more important than any law. Here we briefly explain how the Declaration came about, what is universal about it and what human rights are.

The Beginning: Voting in Paris

Paris, 1948. After more than two years of negotiations, the time had finally come. A small group of countries led by the American Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had been working for a long time on a special text, in which the thirty most important human rights were solemnly laid down. Shortly before midnight on 10 December, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by a large majority. Not a single country voted against and only a handful of countries abstained. It was a milestone in history that there was now a text laying down the ‘highest ideal’ for all mankind.

It was not at all self-evident that states would make agreements about this. In fact, they didn't want to do that at all when the United Nations was founded in 1945, at the end of World War II. It is thanks to pressure from groups of citizens that the protection of human rights has officially become one of the goals of the United Nations.

Universal?

Do human rights really apply everywhere and to everyone? Because that's what the word ‘universal’ means. If you look at how the Universal Declaration came about, you can at least notice that certainly not everyone was at the table to negotiate with.

In 1948, only about 50 countries were members of the United Nations. Now there are almost 200. At the time, large parts of Asia and Africa were still colonized by mainly European countries and were not allowed to participate at all. And countries that did participate in the discussion mainly sent men. Eleanor Roosevelt herself and Hansa Mehta from India were almost the only two women who negotiated. Their contribution has been crucial. For example, it is thanks to Mehta that the Universal Declaration speaks of 'every human being'. Instead of 'every man', as was first proposed.

Are human rights a Western thing? No, certainly not. When many colonised countries gained independence in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, they often incorporated the rights of the Universal Declaration into their constitutions. And the first global human rights treaty based on the Declaration, the Anti-Racism Convention of 1965, was an initiative of African countries. Latin America and Africa, in addition to Europe, each have their own treaties on human rights. In short, although in 1948 not everyone was allowed to have a say and many peoples were oppressed, human rights are now spread all over the world. Although they are not always respected – more on that later.

What human rights exist?

Human rights enable a free and dignified life, without discrimination. There are civil and political rights, such as freedom of speach or the right to life. And there are social and economic rights such as the right to a reasonable standard of living (a roof over your head and sufficient food, for example) or the right to education. Finally, there are also collective rights, rights for groups of people or for all people together, such as the new right to a clean and healthy living space. All these rights are interrelated: one right cannot exist without the other. You can't vote on an empty stomach.

In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights you can find many important human rights. On this website, you can read more about what these rights are and what they mean.

But of course, time has not stood still since 1948. The Universal Declaration, as the word suggests, is above all a nice declaration – a promise, but not something that countries were bound by. Since then, states have made all kinds of binding agreements on human rights in treaties. For example, special treaties have been introduced to protect the rights of children or people with disabilities. And there are treaties against discrimination based on race or gender. Many countries have also incorporated human rights into their own constitutions.

Who takes care of human rights?

First and foremost, states must protect human rights. But the Universal Declaration also states that human rights must be protected by all. Also by companies, organisations, religious communities, and by each and every one of us, that is.

This means that governments and parliaments must ensure that human rights are protected. But also every police officer or judge, for example.

Does this mean that human rights are always protected in practice? Unfortunately, no. Every day the news reports on human rights violations. But something can be done about that. More and more states have even set up special bodies to protect human rights, such as national human rights institutions or ombudspersons. In the Netherlands, the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights monitors on human rights.

But there are also international 'watchdogs' that monitor human rights. Within Europe, for example, the European Court of Human Rights does that. And at the global level, within the United Nations, there is the Human Rights Council and there is a High Commissioner for Human Rights. Also, every human rights treaty has a monitoring committee. For example, the Committee on the Rights of the Child to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. And many of those watchdogs take action not only after the fact, when there is already a human rights violation, but also in advance, to prevent violations.

Each of us can also protect human rights ourselves. If you feel that your human rights have been violated, you can go to court in many countries. In some cases, you can also go to an international court, such as the European Court of Human Rights. And you can make use of the human right to demonstrate or speak out. You can also help other people, for example by becoming a volunteer at an organisation that promotes human rights. Think of the food bank or an equal opportunities project. Finally, you can work with others to set up organisations that protect human rights. For example, Amnesty International arise.

For and by everyone

Human rights therefore apply to everyone. They are important for all of us to be able to live a free and dignified life and to be treated equally. But they can't exist without protection from all of us. This is the only way to keep the human rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights alive: not only as a milestone from 1948, but also as a promise for today and for the future.