75 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

After the end of the Second World War and with the foundation of the United Nations in 1945, states agreed that history must not repeat itself. To foster freedom, peace, and justice, world leaders resolved to develop the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948. The UDHR is a milestone document in the history of human rights, as for the first time fundamental human rights were universally recognized. It guarantees the rights and freedoms of all human beings, recognizing the dignity and worth of the human person, equal rights of men and women, promotes freedom of speech and belief, and freedom from fear and want. Thirty articles containing equal, indivisible, inalienable, and fundamental human rights make up the Declaration, which together with the two covenants – the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPP, 1966) and the International Covenant for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR, 1966) – is known as the International Bill of Human Rights.
 

Human Rights: Past and Future
Although not legally binding, the Declaration is the basis for international treaties, regional human rights instruments, national constitutions, and legal codes from which derive legal obligations for states to uphold, protect, and promote human rights. There are 9 legally binding core international human rights treaties, including ICCPP and ICESCR, of which all 193 UN Member States have ratified at least one. However, the fact that the Declaration exists or treaties have been ratified, does not mean that today all human rights are implemented. While all humans are rights-holders, the realization of their rights cannot be taken for granted. Armed conflicts, political violence, gender inequalities, racism, xenophobia, discrimination against minorities, prohibitions to express one’s opinion, and poverty around the globe testify daily to a lack of fulfilment of human rights. Over the past 75 years, humanity has faced new challenges deriving, for example, from new technologies, artificial intelligence, or climate change, which were not included or foreseen when the UDHR was written and which threaten the enjoyment of human rights today and of future generations. The fact that existing problems intensify and new challenges arise, clearly show that the international human rights instruments need to evolve and adapt. The inalienable and universal nature of human rights define a dynamic process to adequately address new and as of yet unforeseen situations, while upholding existing human rights standards.

The office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in Geneva together with its partner network is engaging with various stakeholders in this process. Its work, based on social democratic values, human rights and justice, focuses on several key areas, trying to advance human rights in relation to migration, business, and climate change. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, FES Geneva will publish a series of articles based on monthly thematic spotlights.

The UN celebrating 75 years of the UDHR
10 December is celebrated annually as International Human Rights Day. In 2023, in the lead up to the anniversary, the UN’s Human Rights 75 Initiative focuses on a different topic each month. Those monthly thematic spotlights aim to inform about different issues related to human rights, to enrich discussions, and to discover concrete ways to implement different aspects of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UN High Level Event on 11-12 December is expected to lead to change and progress through concrete commitments by states and civil society organizations, and to feed into the 2024 Summit of the Future. The aim is to create a vision of what the development of human rights within the next 25 years should look like. In order to influence this process positively, it is important for civil society and policy makers alike to engage and advocate for the respect and promotion of human rights now and in the future.