Summary
Highlights
After World War II, the United Nations was founded in 1945 to prevent future atrocities. Its charter affirmed faith in fundamental human rights and the dignity of the human person. Member states then worked for three years to develop a single document to capture these provisions.
On December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations. This marked the first time the international community made such a declaration, backed by the authority of the United Nations.
The UDHR outlines numerous rights, including protection from torture or exile, the right to a fair trial, privacy, freedom of movement, asylum, nationality, marriage, property, thought, conscience, religion, opinion, expression, peaceful assembly, participation in government, work, rest, leisure, food, clothing, housing, medical care, social services, education, and cultural life.
These human rights are not country-specific, rewards, or limited to certain groups. They apply to all people regardless of color, race, ethnicity, disability, citizenship, sex, class, caste, creed, age, or sexual orientation. The declaration has inspired hundreds of international human rights instruments, supported decolonization, and is enshrined in many national constitutions. It guides human rights defenders worldwide and is available in over 500 languages.
December 10th is celebrated as Human Rights Day. The video emphasizes that universal human rights begin in 'small places, close to home' – the neighborhood, school, workplace – where individuals seek equal justice, opportunity, and dignity. Without meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere, stressing the importance of citizen action to uphold these rights locally.