The United Nations and Human Rights

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was established in 1946. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948. It states that the rights inherent to all human beings, whatever their nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or other status are:

1. Universal and Inalienable:

   Every human being is entitled to the same rights. It is the duty of States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems. They should not be taken away, except in specific situations and according to due process. For example, the right to liberty may be restricted if a person is found guilty of a crime by a court of law.

2. Interdependent and indivisible:

   All human rights are indivisible, whether they are civil and political rights such as the right to life, equality before the law and freedom of expression; economic, social and cultural rights such as the rights to work, social security, and education, or collective rights such as the rights to development and self-determination, are indivisible, interrelated and interdependent. The improvement of one right facilitates advancement of the others. Likewise, the deprivation of one right adversely affects the others.

3. Equal and non-discriminatory:

   The principle applies to everyone in relation to all human rights and freedoms and it prohibits discrimination on the basis of a list of categories such as sex, race, colour, and so on.

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”