Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document comprising a preamble and 30 articles. Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations, it sets out fundamental rights and freedoms intended to apply to every person regardless of nationality, status, or background.

The Preamble asserts that recognition of the inherent dignity and equal, inalienable rights of all people is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace. It acknowledges that disregard for human rights has historically led to "barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind" (1) and frames a world of freedom of speech, belief, and freedom from fear and want as humanity's highest aspiration. Human rights must be protected by the rule of law, the Preamble argues, so that people are not driven to rebellion against tyranny and oppression. It references the United Nations Charter, in which member peoples reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, the dignity and worth of every person, the equal rights of men and women, and the promotion of social progress. Member states have pledged cooperation with the United Nations to promote universal respect for these rights, and the General Assembly calls on every individual and institution to promote them through teaching, education, and progressive measures.

Articles 1 and 2 lay the Declaration's foundational principles. Article 1 declares that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, endowed with reason and conscience, and should act toward one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2 establishes that every person is entitled to these rights without distinction of any kind, whether based on race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status. This protection applies regardless of the political, jurisdictional, or international status of a person's country or territory, whether it is independent, a trust territory (a territory administered under international supervision), non-self-governing (lacking full self-government), or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Articles 3 through 5 affirm the right to life, liberty, and security of person; prohibit slavery and servitude in all forms, including the slave trade; and prohibit torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

Articles 6 through 11 address legal personhood, equality before the law, and fair judicial process. They affirm the right to recognition as a person before the law; equal protection of the law without discrimination, including protection against incitement to discrimination; an effective remedy through national courts for violations of fundamental rights; and protection from arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile. Everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal. Article 11 establishes the presumption of innocence until guilt is proved in a public trial with all guarantees for defense. It also prohibits retroactive criminal liability: No one can be found guilty for an act that was not a criminal offense when committed, and no heavier penalty may be imposed than was applicable at that time.

Articles 12 through 15 address privacy, freedom of movement, asylum, and nationality. Article 12 prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, as well as attacks on honor and reputation, and affirms the right to legal protection against such acts. Article 13 declares the right to freedom of movement and residence within each state and the right to leave any country, including one's own, and to return. Article 14 affirms the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution, though not for prosecutions arising from non-political crimes or acts contrary to United Nations purposes and principles. Article 15 declares the right to a nationality, prohibiting arbitrary deprivation of nationality or denial of the right to change it.

Articles 16 and 17 address marriage, family, and property. Men and women of full age have the right to marry and found a family without limitation due to race, nationality, or religion, with equal rights during marriage and at its dissolution. Marriage requires the free and full consent of both parties. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society, entitled to protection by society and the state. Article 17 declares the right to own property alone or with others and prohibits arbitrary deprivation of property.

Articles 18 through 21 address civil and political freedoms. Article 18 guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including the freedom to change one's belief and to manifest it in teaching, practice, worship, and observance, whether alone or in community, in public or private. Article 19 guarantees freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and share information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers. Article 20 affirms the right to peaceful assembly and association and specifies that no one may be compelled to belong to an association. Article 21 establishes the right to participate in government directly or through freely chosen representatives and to equal access to public service. Government authority derives from the will of the people, expressed through periodic, genuine elections held by universal and equal suffrage (equal voting rights for all adults) and secret ballot or equivalent free voting procedures.

Articles 22 through 27 set forth economic, social, and cultural rights. Article 22 declares the right to social security and to the realization of economic, social, and cultural rights indispensable for dignity and free development of personality. Article 23 establishes the right to work, free choice of employment, just and favorable conditions, protection against unemployment, equal pay for equal work, fair remuneration, and the right to form and join trade unions. Article 24 declares the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable working hours and periodic paid holidays. Article 25 affirms the right to an adequate standard of living, covering food, clothing, housing, medical care, and necessary social services, as well as security against unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other circumstances beyond one's control. Motherhood and childhood receive special care, and all children enjoy the same social protection whether born in or out of wedlock. Article 26 establishes the right to education: Elementary education must be free and compulsory, technical and professional education generally available, and higher education equally accessible on the basis of merit. Education is to promote the full development of the human personality, respect for human rights, and friendship among nations and racial or religious groups, furthering United Nations activities for the maintenance of peace. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education given to their children. Article 27 declares the right to participate freely in cultural life, enjoy the arts, and share in scientific advancement. It also protects authors' moral and material interests in their scientific, literary, or artistic works.

Articles 28 through 30 establish duties, limitations, and safeguards. Article 28 declares that everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which these rights can be fully realized. Article 29 states that everyone has duties to the community, in which alone free and full development of personality is possible. Limitations on rights are permitted only as determined by law, solely to secure the rights of others and meet the just requirements of morality, public order, and general welfare in a democratic society. Rights may never be exercised contrary to United Nations purposes and principles. Article 30 provides a final safeguard: Nothing in the Declaration may be interpreted as granting any state, group, or person the right to engage in any activity aimed at destroying the rights and freedoms it establishes.