Universal Declaration of Human Rights
December 10, 1948 · 20th Century
Adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948, at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris as Resolution 217. Of 58 member states, 48 voted in favor, none opposed, and eight abstained. Drafted over three years by the Commission on Human Rights chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, who built consensus across Cold War ideological divides. The document's 30 articles established a common standard of fundamental rights and freedoms applicable to all people regardless of nationality.
Key Figures
René CassinEleanor RooseveltCharles MalikJohn P. Humphrey
Locations
Paris, FrancePalais de Chaillot
Topics
universal declaration of human rightsunited nationshuman rightsgeneral assembly
Connected Events — 5 Connections
Provided the foundational philosophical framework and international precedent that directly enabled the creation of the ICCPR as a legally binding treaty with enforcement mechanisms Intl. Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is Adopted
Established the foundational principle that all humans possess inherent dignity and rights, but its generalized language left children's specific vulnerabilities unaddressed, creating the legal and moral gap that the Convention on the Rights of the Child was designed to fill Convention on the Rights of the Child is Adopted
Established the philosophical and legal precedent for universal individual rights that directly inspired the UDHR's foundational principles of inherent human dignity and inalienable rights Declaration of the Rights of Man
The ILO's decades of work establishing international labor standards and the principle that social justice is essential for peace directly influenced the inclusion of workers' rights and social protections in Articles 22-25 of the Universal Declaration Intl. Labour Organization Founded
Created the institutional framework and legal foundation that enabled the UN General Assembly to draft and adopt the world's first universal statement of human rights principles United Nations Founded
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