Universal Declaration of Human Rights Marks 60th Anniversary

Wednesday, December 10, marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Spearheaded by former U.S. first lady and U.N. delegate Eleanor Roosevelt, the UDHR guaranteed the political and civic rights of all people, including the right to freedom from torture, slavery, poverty, homelessness and other forms of oppression.

 

Eleanor Roosevelt holds a copy of the UDHR written in Spanish. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the UDHR is the most translated document in the worldMost people assume today that the guarantee of human rights is an essential feature of all civilized societies. But the UDHR was a product of a unique historical moment, says Larry Cox, director of the human rights group Amnesty International USA.

 

"It came out of the horrors of World War II, the Great Depression and, of course, the indescribable horrors of the Holocaust that made the world realize that something had to be said about basic human rights," Cox says. "It was no longer a question of individual states doing whatever they want to for their citizens, because the way that governments treat their citizens affects the whole world and especially the peace and security of the whole world."

Source and the whole article here.

:D Good for the anniversary but too bad that yet many of those rights aren't warrantied for every Human in all countries. :(