8.2.2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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8.2.2 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
How should I respond to globalization?
For thousands of years, people all over the world have tried to define the rights that should be enjoyed by all people. From the Constitution of Medina signed in 622 in the Middle East to the Magna Carta signed in Great Britain in 1215 to the Declaration of the Rights of Man signed in France in 1793, people have sought to put into law the rights that all human beings should have.
During World War II, the Allies (Great Britain and the Commonwealth including Canada, as well as France, Poland, Belgium, China, the USSR, and several other nations) established what they called the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
After World War II, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written. It states the fundamental rights that should be enjoyed by all people and has been signed by most nations in the world.
Watch this excellent video that shows the history of human rights around the world.
The United Nations: At the end of World War II, the nations of the world realized that something had to be done to produce a cooperative global environment in which all people could live together in peace and dignity. The United Nations, while not a "world government", is the one global forum in which nations can come together and to share common concerns.
The role of the United Nations in protecting human rights: When the United Nations was founded, one of its most important tasks was the establishment of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was signed in 1948. This document expressed the universal belief that all people around the world are equal in worth and are deserving of equal treatment.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has 30 articles.
Did you know that the Universal Declaration of human rights was written by a Canadian?
John Humphrey was a Canadian lawyer and law professor who was the UN's Director of Human Rights from the inception of the UN until 1966. He wrote the first draft of the declaration. He also helped found Amnesty International and the Canadian Human Rights Foundation.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948. Although almost every nation in the world has agreed to uphold these rights, millions of people are imprisoned for speaking their minds. Thousands are persecuted for their religious beliefs. Millions die of hunger every year. Why? Whose job is it to ensure that human rights are upheld?
During World War II, the Allies (Great Britain and the Commonwealth including Canada, as well as France, Poland, Belgium, China, the USSR, and several other nations) established what they called the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
After World War II, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written. It states the fundamental rights that should be enjoyed by all people and has been signed by most nations in the world.
Watch
Watch this excellent video that shows the history of human rights around the world.
The United Nations: At the end of World War II, the nations of the world realized that something had to be done to produce a cooperative global environment in which all people could live together in peace and dignity. The United Nations, while not a "world government", is the one global forum in which nations can come together and to share common concerns.
The role of the United Nations in protecting human rights: When the United Nations was founded, one of its most important tasks was the establishment of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was signed in 1948. This document expressed the universal belief that all people around the world are equal in worth and are deserving of equal treatment.
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Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations, Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge, Now, therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. |
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has 30 articles.
Article 1.
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. |
Article 11.
Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty. |
Article 21.
Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through representatives and has equal rights to government services. The will of the people is the basis of the authority of government as expressed in elections. |
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. |
Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. |
Article 22.
Everyone has the right to social security and is entitled to the economic, social and cultural rights to dignity and the free development of his personality. |
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. |
Article 13.
Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. |
Article 23.
Everyone has the right to work, to fair working conditions and to equal pay for equal work, including pay that can provide an existence worthy of human dignity and the right to join trade unions. |
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. |
Article 14.
Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy asylum from persecution in other countries except for legitimate prosecution for crimes committed. |
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure. |
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. |
Article 15.
Everyone has the right to a nationality and cannot be denied that nationality, but also has the right to change that nationality. |
Article 25.
Everyone has the right to a decent standard of living and the right to security including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. |
Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. |
Article 16.
Consenting men and women of full age, have the right to marry and to found a family and have equal rights in the marriage and at its dissolution. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection. |
Article 26.
Everyone has the right to free and compulsory education in the fundamental stages. Higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. |
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. |
Article 17.
Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. |
Article 27.
Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, and property rights over ideas and art he has created. |
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy for acts violating his fundamental rights. |
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. |
Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. |
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. |
Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. |
Article 29.
Everyone has duties to the community. |
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him. |
Article 20.
Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. |
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted giving anyone the right to destroy any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein. |
Did you know that the Universal Declaration of human rights was written by a Canadian?
John Humphrey was a Canadian lawyer and law professor who was the UN's Director of Human Rights from the inception of the UN until 1966. He wrote the first draft of the declaration. He also helped found Amnesty International and the Canadian Human Rights Foundation.
Reflect
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948. Although almost every nation in the world has agreed to uphold these rights, millions of people are imprisoned for speaking their minds. Thousands are persecuted for their religious beliefs. Millions die of hunger every year. Why? Whose job is it to ensure that human rights are upheld?