Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2004 6:58 pm Post subject: Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly Resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948
Preamble
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedoms,
Whereas member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now therefore,
The General Assembly
Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2
1. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
2. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11
1. Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
2. No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14
1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
2. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15
1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16
1. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
2. Marriage shall be entered into only with free and full consent of the intending spouses.
3. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17
1. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
2. No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21
1. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in his country.
3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23
1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25
1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26
1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27
1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29
1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
3. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein. _________________ Asia Expats Forum Expat Friends Dating
Originally Posted : Friday, 7 December 2007, New York
Monday, 10 December 2007 is Human Rights Day, and is also the start of the one-year commemoration of the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Declaration is the product of a long process that started after the somber episode of World War II. It became clear that it was urgent for the international community to start focusing on human rights and their implementation to prevent future crimes against humanity and war crimes from being committed.
From 1946 to 1948, a Drafting Committee worked endlessly to come up with a universal document that would change the world perception of human rights forever. Finally, on 10 December 1948, after two years of intense negotiations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly at the Palais de Chaillot, in Paris.
Throughout the months leading up to the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, iSeek will regularly present stories featuring multimedia material. Various initiatives will be taken throughout the Organization and at all duty stations in order to approach this upcoming event from a historical, legal and human perspective. iSeek is calling upon the collaboration of various Departments and duty stations to help commemorate this global event.
Human Rights Day to be celebrated with events around the world
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Originally Posted: Friday, 7 December 2007, New York
This year, Human Rights Day, 10 December, serves as the launch of a year-long commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The theme for both the day and the year is "Dignity and justice for all of us", which reinforces the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a commitment to universal dignity and justice, and not a luxury or a wish-list.
The Declaration, which has been translated into over 360 languages, and its core values, inherent human dignity, non-discrimination, equality, fairness and universality, apply to everyone, everywhere and always. The Declaration is universal, enduring and vibrant, and it concerns us all.
Since its adoption in 1948, the Declaration has been and continues to be a source of inspiration for national and international efforts to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The SG calls for a year-long campaign
The Secretary-General, in his message for the day, states, "The Declaration remains as relevant today as it did on the day it was adopted. But the fundamental freedoms enshrined in it are still not a reality for everyone. Too often, Governments lack the political will to implement international norms they have willingly accepted."
He adds, "This anniversary year is an occasion to build up that will. It is a chance to ensure that these rights are a living reality -- that they are known, understood and enjoyed by everyone, everywhere. It is often those who most need their human rights protected, who also need to be informed that the Declaration exists -- and that it exists for them.
May this year reinvigorate us in that mission. Let us make the Universal Declaration of Human Rights an integral part of everyone’s life."
Ban Ki-moon
In order to mark the occasion and the anniversary year, a wide variety of activities are being planned around the world, including many events organized by UN Information Centres including photo exhibitions, educational conferences and more.
The 10th Annual United Nations Student Conference on Human Rights (UNSCHR) took place in New York from 5-7 December with the theme is "Recognising the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."
More information about events planned throughout the year is available online.
Events on Monday, December 10:
Geneva
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Louise Arbour, will launch the year-long campaign at a commemorative ceremony scheduled to be held in Room XVII at the Palais des Nations prior to the start of the resumed sixth session of the Human Rights Council. The Secretary-General, who is in Bali, will participate through a video-message. Also participating will be the Director-General of UNOG and the President of the Human Rights Council and Member States among others.
New York
At UN Headquarters, three events are planned:
Panel discussion: "Digital Dignity: New Media and Human Rights"
1:15-2:45 p.m., Conference Room One
A panel of bloggers, texters, filmmakers, and human rights defenders on the use of the world newest technologies to combat the world oldest scourges.
*Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information (moderator)
*Craig Mokhiber, Deputy Director, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
*Peter Rosenblum, Professor in Human Rights, Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic
*Katrin Verclas, Co-Founder and Editor, MobileActive.org
*Rebecca Sommer, Independent Filmmaker
*Rafal A. Rohozinski, Investigator, OpenNet Initiative (tbc)
Dialogue: "All of It, for All of Us: Toward an Inclusive Human Rights Agenda"
3-6 p.m., Conference Room One
Representatives of states, civil society, academia and the United Nations system will discuss new approaches to restoring a holistic vision of human rights, ensuring the promise of universality, and meeting the challenges of our age.
*Bobbi Nassar, Chair, NGO Committee on Human Rights (facilitator)
*Ambassador Peter Maurer, Permanent Representative of Switzerland
*Ngonlardje Mbaidjol, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
*Shantha Rau, NGO Subcommittee on Human Rights of People with Disabilities
* Elissavet Stamatopoulou, Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Secretariat
Cartoon Exhibit Opening: Sketching Human Rights
5 p.m. General Assembly Visitors・Lobby
An exhibit featuring a collection of thought-provoking cartoons from a range of international cartoonists on the subject of human rights that will be on display through mid-January 2008. The exhibit was curated by the award-winning political cartoonist and comics historian Jerry Robinson, the founding President of CartoonArts International (CAI) and a recipient of the National Cartoonists Society Lifetime Achievement Award.
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