Udhr

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) (UDHR) was developed largely as a response to the barbarity of the World War II. It affirms the promotion of universal respect and observance of human rights and the dignity and worth of the person. The declaration was to be a common standard for every individual and every organ of society to keep in mind. At the core of the declaration was non-discrimination and respect for the individual dignity of every person. During its drafting there were a number of debates, including the importance of cultural and other factors in the context of rights, the connection between rights and responsibilities and the role of spiritual values in the welfare of the individual. The declaration consists of 30 articles. Article 1 asserts the right of all people to freedom and equality in dignity and rights, Article 2 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or social origin, property, birth or other status. Articles 3 – 21 outline civil and political rights, including the right to participate in the government. Every person as the right to life, liberty and security, freedom of movement, thought, conscience and religion and freedom of association and the right to participate in government through genuinely free elections. And finally Articles 22-30 detail economic, social and cultural rights such as the rights of people to work, to join trade unions and participate freely in their cultural rights in their communities. The lack of legal status of the Declaration has helped to give it moral authority, for example, in the condemnation by the UN of racist regimes in South Africa and Zimbabwe. It has made it flexible enough to help ground demands for increased human rights even against authoritarian governments. It has also served as a foundation of for later instruments, such as the International Convention on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights, and the development of similar rights in national constitutions and domestic legal systems. Technically, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights is not legally binding. However, the rights are so widely accepted that they have become part of the general principles of international law, even though they may not be part of customary international law. Civil and political rights relate to the treatment of the individual both as an individual and as a member of a wider society. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) main function is to protect people from the actions of oppressive governments. In ICCPR, all parties agree to respect all individual rights established under the covenant. These effectively expand on many of the rights set out in the UDHR. Key rights provided y the ICCPR include : -the right of life -freedom from torture and slavery -freedom of thought, conscience and religion -prohibition of war propaganda and advocacy of racial hatred -freedom of assembly and association only limited by the needs of a democratic society -democratic rights of participation in government -the rights of minorities to enjoy their culture, profess and practice their religion and use of their own language As of 2007, 160 countries were signatories to the Convention, but, even so, the rights enshrined there are widely abused. The Key features of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights include: -equal rights for men and women -the right to work in jobs that are freely chosen or accepted -the right to remuneration that allows a decent living with safe and healthy working conditions, and rest and leisure with a reasonable limit to working hours -the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of workers’ social and economic interests, including the right to strike, limited only by laws necessary for a democratic society -the right to social security -the wide possible support for the family and dependent children, with the marriage by free consent and children’s work not to harm their health or morals -the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food, housing and clothing, continuous improvement of living standards and the fundamental right to freedom from hunger -the right to the highest standards of physical and mental aid -the right to education for the full development of the human personality and sense of dignity, and to encourage friendship amongst all racial, ethnic and religious groups -the right of everyone to the benefits of cultural life and scientific progress