The UDHR’s purpose is to codify basic rights and fundamental freedoms for all human beings, serving as a common global standard.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948 to codify fundamental rights and freedoms that belong to all people. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt and accepted as UN General Assembly Resolution 217, it is built as a “common standard of achievement” for all peoples and nations, affirming that human rights are inherent, inalienable, and applicable universally. Its universal scope is emphasized through language that does not tie rights to any specific culture, political system, or religion. The UDHR commits nations to recognize that people are “born free and equal in dignity and rights,” without discrimination based on factors such as nationality, sex, race/ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or other status. Although the UDHR itself is generally considered non-binding, it has strongly influenced international human rights law, inspiring later treaties and national constitutional and legal developments worldwide.
The UDHR’s purpose is to codify basic rights and fundamental freedoms for all human beings, serving as a common global standard.
Its universal scope is expressed through non-discriminatory, cross-cultural language that applies regardless of nationality, sex, religion, and other status.
While not legally binding, the UDHR has shaped international human rights law and influenced treaties, regional instruments, and national constitutions and legal codes.
A 1948 UN General Assembly declaration that sets out fundamental human rights and freedoms for all people worldwide.
The UDHR’s principle that human rights apply to everyone everywhere, without being limited to any particular culture, political system, or religion.
Rights that belong to people by virtue of being human and cannot be taken away.
A legal document that does not automatically create enforceable obligations by itself under international law, though it can influence later binding treaties and practice.
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