The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
The most comprehensive definition of what human rights actually entail was given to us on December 10, 1948, when the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.After World War II had ended, the international community was shocked by the atrocities committed during the war. The United Nations decided that human life had to be protected and human rights mattered. For this reason, the United Nations created the Human Rights Commission in 1947. It was chaired by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Source: Eleanor Roosevelt with Harry Truman/Getty imagesMrs. Eleanor Roosevelt reporting to Pres. Harry Truman on her trip to Geneva as a representative of the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
Under Eleanor Roosevelt’s able leadership, the commission created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or UDHR. International experts on human rights from all over the world and belonging to many different religions came together to work on the declaration. The committee decided that human rights were indivisible and that all the rights listed in the UDHR were linked to each other.
The UDHR lists basic principles, such as dignity, liberty, and equality in the first two articles, while the latter articles address issues such as political, economic, cultural, and social rights.
All signatories agreed that human rights were guaranteed in their respective countries.
Like all other United Nations General Assembly resolutions, the UDHR wasn’t binding on any nation in the world but just a recommendation on how to treat human beings. For this reason, the United Nations decided to turn it into international law through a series of treaties, binding on all signatories. These treaties created the International Bill of Human Rights.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a multilateral treaty passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966. It went into force in 1976. The treaty mandates that all signatories guarantee civil and political rights of individuals. Examples include freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion. In addition, the right to due process and fair trial are included. The final right is the right to be able to participate in policy making through free electoral processes. As of 2019, 173 nations have signed and ratified the treaty. Twenty nations, including, Cuba, China, and Saudi Arabia, have not yet ratified the treaty.The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
The same year, 1966, the United Nations also passed the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). It also came into force in 1976.All signatories to the treaty have to provide their citizens with economic, social, and cultural rights. Examples include the right to unionize, the right to receive an adequate education, and the right to an adequate standard of living. Therefore, the treaty deals with second- and third-generation human rights.
As of 2018, 169 countries have signed and ratified the treaty. The U.S. hasn’t ratified the ICESCR because it believes that second- and third-generation human rights aren’t inherent rights of people but rather desirable social goals, which have to be implemented by respective states, with America’s help if so desired.
Today, most countries agree on first-generation human rights, however, there’s a split in the international community on whether second- and third-generation human rights are actual rights or desirable social goals.