A Brief History of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created following the Holocaust during World War II. The sheer atrocities committed by the Nazis through the enslavement and annihilation of Jews in Europe caused the world to cry out for justice. The Holocaust changed the worldview on human rights. Prior to the war, human rights were initially considered a "domestic concern"; they were to be enforced by only the governments of individual countries. This view shifted during the war, as human rights were then considered a "universal concern"; they were to be a concern for every person. By the end of the war, the world as a whole felt the need for the security of inalienable human rights.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets out a list of inalienable human rights. It is however, much more than simply a treaty. The Declaration describes how the rights in it are not to be enforced, but rather, represent "a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations". Among these rights include the right to life, the right to not be tortured or enslaved, and to not be unfairly persecuted. The Declaration also grants freedom of thought, expression, and religion. The cultural rights laid out include the right to marriage, education, employment, food, and shelter. The Declaration was only a resolution adopted by the General Assembly, so in the legal sense, it is a non-binding document. In spite of this, since its adoption, it has grown to become a major factor in international law. In fact, many of the rights in the Declaration formed the groundwork for many regional human rights documents, such as the "European Convention of Human Rights," the "European Social Charter," the "African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights," and the "Helsinki Accords".
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights came into existence on December 10, 1948. Following a gruelling debate, the President of the General Assembly called for a vote to decide the fate of the Declaration. Fifty-eight member states of the United Nations participated in the vote. Forty-eight voted for the adoption of the Declaration, eight countries abstained, and two were not present. The countries that abstained included Byelorussia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Ukraine, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

After eighteen years, it was decided that the rights in the Declaration were to be separated into two separate covenants: the International Covenant on Civil, and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The two covenants were adopted in 1966, and have since been ratified by over 130 countries. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the two covenants form the "International Bill of Rights".