Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a landmark document in the history of human rights. Prepared by representatives of all regions of the world with different legal and cultural backgrounds, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 in its (Resolution 217 A (III)) as a common ideal for all peoples and nations. The Declaration establishes, for the first time, the fundamental human rights that must be protected throughout the world and has been translated into more than 500 languages. The UDHR is widely recognized as having inspired and paved the way for the adoption of more than seventy human rights treaties, which are now permanently implemented at the global and regional levels (all of which contain references to it in their preambles).
Considering that freedom, justice and peace in the world are based on the recognition of the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family;
whereas ignorance and disregard for human rights have given rise to acts of barbarism that are outrageous to the conscience of mankind, and whereas the advent of a world in which human beings have been proclaimed as man’s highest aspiration, freed from fear and want, enjoy freedom of speech and freedom of belief;
Considering it essential that human rights be protected by a system of law, so that man is not compelled to the supreme recourse of rebellion against tyranny and oppression;
Considering also essential to promote the development of friendly relations among nations;
whereas the peoples of the United Nations have reaffirmed in the Charter their faith in the fundamental rights of man, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women, and have declared their determination to promote social progress and to raise the standard of living within a broader concept of freedom;
whereas Member States are committed to ensuring, in cooperation with the United Nations, universal and effective respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms,
and whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the utmost importance for the full implementation of this commitment;
Now, therefore,
the General Assembly,
Proclaims the present Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common ideal for all peoples and nations to strive to ensure that individuals and institutions, constantly inspired by it, promote, through education and education, respect for these rights and freedoms, and ensure, by progressive measures of a national and international nature, their universal and effective recognition and application, both among the peoples of the Member States and among those of the territories under their jurisdiction.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and, endowed as they are with reason and conscience, they must behave fraternally with each other.
Everyone has all the rights and freedoms proclaimed in this Declaration, without any distinction of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, economic position, birth or any other condition. In addition, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, legal or international status of the country or territory under whose jurisdiction a person depends, whether it is an independent country or a territory under trusteeship, not autonomous or subject to any other limitation of sovereignty.
Every individual has the right to life, freedom and security of person.
No one shall be subjected to slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade are prohibited in all their forms.
No one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Every human being has the right, everywhere, to recognition of his or her legal personality.
All are equal before the law and have, without distinction, the right to equal protection of the law. Everyone has the right to equal protection against any discrimination that violates this Declaration and against any provocation to such discrimination.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy before the competent national courts, which protects him against acts that violate his fundamental rights recognized by the constitution or by law.
No one may be arbitrarily arrested, detained or exiled.
Everyone has the right, under conditions of full equality, to be heard publicly and fairly by an independent and impartial tribunal, for the determination of his rights and obligations or for the consideration of any accusation against him in criminal matters.
1. Any person accused of an offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, in accordance with the law and in a public trial in which he has been guaranteed all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
2. No one shall be sentenced for acts or omissions which were not criminal under national or international law at the time of their commission. Nor shall the penalty be more severe than that applicable at the time of the commission of the offence.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference in his private life, family, home or correspondence, or to attacks on his honour or reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
1. Everyone has the right to move freely and to choose his residence in the territory of a State.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
1. In the event of persecution, everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum in any country.
2. This right may not be invoked against a legal action actually brought for ordinary offences or for acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality or of the right to change his nationality.
1. Men and women, from the marriageable age, have the right, without restriction on grounds of race, nationality or religion, to marry and found a family, and shall enjoy equal rights in marriage, during marriage and upon dissolution of marriage.
2. Marriage may be contracted only with the free and full consent of the future spouses.
3. The family is the natural and fundamental element of society and is entitled to the protection of society and the State.
1. Everyone has the right to own property, individually and collectively.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes the freedom to change one’s religion or belief and the freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief, individually and collectively, both in public and in private, by teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Every individual has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the right not to be disturbed by his opinions, to investigate and receive information and opinions, and to disseminate them, without limitation of borders, by any means of expression.
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
2. No one shall be obliged to belong to an association.
1. Everyone has the right to participate in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right of equal access to public functions in his country.
3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of the public authorities; this will be expressed through genuine elections to be held periodically, by universal and equal suffrage and by secret ballot or other equivalent procedure guaranteeing the freedom to vote.
Every person, as a member of society, has the right to social security, and to obtain, through national effort and international cooperation, in the light of the organization and resources of each State, the satisfaction of economic rights, social and cultural rights, indispensable to their dignity and to the free development of their personality.
1. Everyone has the right to work, free choice of work, fair and satisfactory working conditions and protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone has the right, without discrimination, to equal pay for equal work.
3. Every person who works is entitled to equitable and satisfactory remuneration, which guarantees him and his family an existence in accordance with human dignity and which shall be supplemented, if necessary, by any other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form trade unions and to join trade unions in order to defend his interests.
Everyone has the right to rest, the enjoyment of free time, a reasonable limitation on the duration of work and periodic paid leave.
1. Every person has the right to an adequate standard of living which guarantees him, as well as his family, health and well-being, in particular food, clothing, housing, medical assistance and necessary social services; is also entitled to insurance in the event of unemployment, sickness, invalidity, widowhood, old age or other loss of means of subsistence due to circumstances independent of his will.
2. Maternity and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, born in or out of wedlock, are entitled to equal social protection.
1. Everyone has the right to education. Education must be free, at least for elementary and fundamental education. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and vocational education shall be generalized; access to higher education shall be equal for all, depending on their respective merits.
2. Education shall aim at the full development of the human personality and the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations and all ethnic or religious groups, and promote the development of United Nations peacekeeping activities.
3. Parents shall have a preferential right to choose the type of education to be given to their children.
1. Everyone has the right to take part freely in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to participate in scientific progress and in the benefits resulting therefrom.
2. Everyone has the right to the protection of his or her moral and material interests by reason of the scientific, literary or artistic productions of which he or she is the author.
Everyone has the right to establish a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms proclaimed in this Declaration are fully realized.
1. Every person has duties towards the community, since only in it can he freely and fully develop his personality.
2. In the exercise of his rights and in the enjoyment of his freedoms, every person shall be subject only to the limitations established by law for the sole purpose of ensuring recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others, and to meet the just demands of morality, public order and general welfare in a democratic society.
3. These rights and freedoms shall in no case be exercised in opposition to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Nothing in this Declaration shall be interpreted as conferring any right on the State, a group or a person, to undertake and carry out activities or acts aimed at the suppression of any of the rights and freedoms proclaimed in this Declaration.