The Origin of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? It was published by the United Nations in It lists the rights that all people have. Most governments have agreed to respect and protect these rights…

The Origin of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Beginning – why it was written Applies to everyone, regardless of ethnicity, nation, age, gender etc An OFFICIAL statement basic standards without which people cannot live in dignity as human beings.

The creation of the United Nations The horrors of World War II demonstrated that the existing ways of preventing war were not effective. The war had also created a massive refugee problem and destroyed many cities in Europe and Asia. The leaders of the world’s most powerful nations realized that a new organisation was needed to help the world recover and prevent future wars. The organisation was the United Nations.

The United Nations was created in 1945 The first meeting was in San Francisco

The United Nations Headquarters is based in New York. The land it is on is international, not American. Statue emphasising the goal of world peace.

Which rights should the United Nations protect? During World War Two Britain, the United States and Russia had agreed that FOUR freedoms would be guaranteed in Europe once the Nazis were defeated : 1.Freedom of expression (“To say what you want” 2.Freedom of assembly (“To associate with who you want”) 3.Freedom from fear (“So no government will persecute you”) 4.Freedom from want (“So no person will be homeless or hungry”)

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Governments could not easily agree on the rights they would give their citizens. Democracies like the United States wanted to emphasise political freedoms such as the right to vote. Dictatorships like the Soviet Union wanted to emphasise the right to food and shelter. After three years of arguments and discussions the final text was agreed to. In 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was finally published. It is still the most important agreement on Human Rights.