The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a historic document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. It was drafted by representatives from various nations around the world and sets out a number of basic rights that everyone is entitled to, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, or other status.
The Declaration has been an important influence on subsequent human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The UDHR was drafted in the wake of World War II and the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany during its reign over much of Europe. The Holocaust, in particular, shook many to their core and made them realize that steps must be taken to make sure nothing like that could ever happen again.
The declaration was written by a commission of representatives from various nations. But it was passed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948 and has been described as a Magna Carta for all of humanity. The Declaration was designed to be a sort of “bill of rights” for humanity, as described by Eleanor Roosevelt, who served on the Commission that drafted the document. But perhaps most importantly, the document calls out human rights violations at the hands of individuals, governments, or institutions—particularly those that are systematic or widespread in nature. It also explicitly calls out any government’s duty to protect its people from such abuses.
