The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Philip Adejumo Dr. Sara Parrott GT Independent Research February 29, 2013 Mr. Greg Bannister

Eleanor Roosevelt said that human rights begin In small places, close to home so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world, but Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese opposition politician and 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, said that guaranteeing human rights is a struggle for life and dignity. It encompasses our political, social and economic aspirations (Horton) (Human Rights Quotes). But what are human rights? Do countries really take human rights seriously? The world is an inherently dangerous place and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created to combat this. Unfortunately, very few high schoolers know much about what the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is and what it attempts to provide to every world citizen. This paper will first discuss the origin and conception of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Then, it will provide examples of modern successes the existence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has fastened. It will also further explore the documents purpose and expectations A global union between nations was first conceived during World War I and an organization was established in 1919 to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security. This commission went by the title The League of Nations. It was the first international organization of its sort, but failed in multiple ways as well (A Chronology of the Global Human Rights). The League of Nations was not well organized and excluded many key coutnries across the world. Upon the commencement of World War II in the 1930s, the League of Nations ceased its activities because it failed its primary mission, to prevent any future world war. Fortunately enough, the subsequent horrors of the Holocaust were enough of a catalyst for the organization to attempt a

second time to achieve world peace and to unite as many nations as possible under the name The United Nations. Like its predecessor, the United Nations, or U.N., was created with the intent of hosting an international organization of countries to promote international peace and cooperation. Because of the widespread acknowledgement that humankind could not afford a third world war, the United Nations made significant changes to the organizational structure of the League of Nations after World War I (History of the United Nations). The U.N. created multiple subsidiary organizations across the world to carry out its missions and also created its own armed force to enforce its resolutions, impose its economic sanctions, and provide an army when needed (History of the United Nations)(A Chronology of the Global Human Rights Struggle). After World War II, in the spring of 1945, leaders of the worlds largest nations met in Los Angeles. They created the United Nations Charter, or the foundational treaty, was first created (Creation of the Universal Declaration). The Charter was completed and ratified by twenty six countries on October 24, 1945. As of now, United Nations Day is celebrated October 24 of every year and 192 out of 196 countries in the world are members of the U.N. (United Nations Human Rights). One of the biggest accomplishments the United Nations has achieved is the formulation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or UDHR. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proves to be a document that continues to grow and strengthen. According to Peter Bailey, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has come to be regarded as the single most important document created in the twentieth century and as the accepted world standard for human rights (Bailey). The UDHR draws

life-preserving messages from the past and is seen as an essential foundation for building a world in which all human beings can, in the centuries to come, look forward to living in dignity and peace (The Creation of the Universal Declaration). The idea for a document that would establish the inherent rights of human beings was first formed in a commission of the United Nations. The commission was led by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of the 26th President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The commission planned to create a relatively short declaration that was inspirational, uplifting, and usable by common people (Glendon). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights consists of 30 articles which have been elaborated in subsequent international treaties, regional human rights instruments, national constitutions and laws. The Universal Declaration was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 10, 1948 by a vote of 48 in favor, 0 against. Over time, more countries are beginning to attempt to ensure the rights the Declaration upholds, and life is becoming better in a lot of countries because of this. For example, various countries around the world have taken the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into careful consideration as they attempt to maintain international peace and security. Members of the U.N. are responsible for enforcement of human rights when theyve seen a breach of peace or an act of aggression in various countries (Flinterman). During the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, the United Nations established and maintained a safe zone for fleeing Hutu refugees. Although the United Nations was successful in aiding the transporting some refugees out of Rwanda, members of the U.N. still consider

their reaction to events in Rwanda a failure because they were unable to prevent the genocide from occurring in the first place (Rwanda Ten Years After). Also, UNICEF, the United Nations Childrens Fund, is beginning to base its policies more and more on the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was created by the United Nations Committee of Human Rights (Convention on the Rights of the Child). In September of 2012, UNICEF was responsible for the evacuation of hundreds of school children in Yemen after the threat of attack during the 2011-2012 Yemen Uprising ("Protecting Yemen's Students From Attack"). UNICEF was also successful in helping reduce the worldwide infant mortality rate from 12 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010 by launching the Measles Initiative, which helped vaccinate one billion children in more than 60 developing countries (Niles). In 2011, five countries added their names to the Paris Commitments, bringing the number of states that have pledged to prevent the use of children in armed conflict to one hundred in response to the advocacy of UNICEF (Niles). Many of UNICEF's key principles derive directly from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights including entitlements to special care and assistance for mothers and children, the right for all children to have equal social protection, and the right to a free, basic education for all children. Although the world is beginning to see tremendous changes in establishing equal rights for everyone, countries are not expected to adopt the laws overnight. Many countries today still struggle with acceptance and implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, even though the United Nations is constantly working to create equal rights for everyone. One of the problems that the Declaration faces today is getting countries to adopt all of its laws. Individual countries and regions are free to

develop their own set of rights, but if the country is part of the U.N., the U.N. must approve such a list first. In November of 2012, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations finished drafting a Declaration of Human Rights. The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights suspended the adoption of the draft claiming that a lot of central human rights ideals were missing ("ASEAN Human Rights Fails to Impress UNHRC"). Similarly, a lot of African countries and predominantly Islamic countries have identical problems with adhering to or accepting the UDHR. In 1981, two years after the Iranian revolution, Irans position on the UDHR was clearly stated at the 36th UN General Assembly session, when Irans representative asserted that the UDHR represents a secular interpretation of many laws and traditions which could not be implemented by Muslims. Iranian diplomats let the United Nations know that if a choice had to be made between the UDHRs stipulations and "the divine law of the country," Iran would always choose Islamic law (Littman). This stance on human rights is popular throughout the Middle East and is the root of many violations of the Declarations civil and moral laws that many Westerners, in contrast, commonly accept as universal. Although many to the Americans and Europeans are firmly opposed to the Islamic stance on human rights, many are unwilling to realize that Islamists have similar beliefs in numerous ways as well. For example, in the Western world, where Catholicism is the primary religion, the church violates the first law of the UDHR (All humans are born free and equal) on a daily basis. Women are not allowed to become priests in many churches throughout the world, and evidence of rape, and unequal punishment based on gender have been documented since the beginning of Christian history.

Conflicts and violence are prevalent in many impoverished countries, and both the people and the governments may be victims of the amoral harassment terrorist organizations and gangs commit (Nigeria Attacks). Women and children are rarely treated equally under the law. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, feminist movements demanded equality between women and men. The United Nations quickly responded by forming an International Convention in 1965 that discussed all forms of gender discrimination. Shortly after the Convention, the U.N. amended the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to include sex or gender to Article II of the document. Now it states, Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind (A Chronology of the Global Human Rights Struggle) (Human Rights Action Center). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the most important documents that the United Nations has established. It gives clear goals that every country should strive for, and specific ideas every person should hope for. Unfortunately, many of the guidelines set in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are not being met by any country in the world; its a work in progress. Pride in Development hopes to get the world moving faster on the right track towards making Universal Rights more persuasive by first teaching the youth in local communities. Diogenes Laertius, a Greek writer, said that The foundation of every state is the education of its youth (Quotation Details). But the core of every organization is the leadership and organization it was designed around. Pride in Development will be focusing not on profits or fame, but on really teaching todays youth how other people around the world live. The organization hopes

to give each member ambition and hope that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be fully realized and acted upon.

Appendix Abridged Version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1. Everyone is free and we should all be treated in the same way.

2. Everyone is equal despite differences in skin color, sex, religion, language for example.

3. Everyone has the right to life and to live in freedom and safety.

4. No one has the right to treat you as a slave nor should you make anyone your slave.

5. No one has the right to hurt you or to torture you.

6. Everyone has the right to be treated equally by the law.

7. The law is the same for everyone, it should be applied in the same way to all.

8. Everyone has the right to ask for legal help when their rights are not respected.

9. No one has the right to imprison you unjustly or expel you from your own country.

10. Everyone has the right to a fair and public trial.

11. Everyone should be considered innocent until guilt is proved.

12. Everyone has the right to ask for help if someone tries to harm you, but no-one can enter your home, open your letters or bother you or your family without a good reason.

13. Everyone has the right to travel as they wish.

14. Everyone has the right to go to another country and ask for protection if they are being persecuted or are in danger of being persecuted.

15. Everyone has the right to belong to a country. No one has the right to prevent you from belonging to another country if you wish to.

16. Everyone has the right to marry and have a family.

17. Everyone has the right to own property and possessions.

18. Everyone has the right to practice and observe all aspects of their own religion and change their religion if they want to.

19. Everyone has the right to say what they think and to give and receive information.

20. Everyone has the right to take part in meetings and to join associations in a peaceful way.

21. Everyone has the right to help choose and take part in the government of their country.

22. Everyone has the right to social security and to opportunities to develop their skills.

23. Everyone has the right to work for a fair wage in a safe environment and to join a trade union.

24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure.

25. Everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living and medical help if they are ill.

26. Everyone has the right to go to school.

27. Everyone has the right to share in their community's cultural life.

28. Everyone must respect the 'social order' that is necessary for all these rights to be available.

29. Everyone must respect the rights of others, the community and public property.

30. No one has the right to take away any of the rights in this declaration.