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Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), Drafting History

Economic & Social Council - 2nd Session

Economic and Social Council of the United Nations  The first meeting of the Second Session of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. From left to right around the table: Roland Lebeau, Belgium; The Hon. Brooke Claxton, Canada; Carlos Davila, Chile; Dr. P.C. Chang, China; Dr. Emilio Toro, Columbia; Dr. Ramiro Guerra-y-Sanchez, Cuba; Dr. Josef Hanc, Czechoslovakia; Alexandre Parodi, France; Alexandre Argyropoulos, Greece; Trygye Lie, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Sir A. Ramaswani Mudaliar, India, President of the Council; A. David K. Owen, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs; Henri Laugier, Assistant Secretary-General for Social Affairs; Dr. Charles Malik, Lebanon; Ole Colbjornsen, Norway; Dr. Alberto Arco Parro, Peru; Anatoli Baranovsky, Ukraine; Nikolai I. Feonov, U.S.S.R; The Rt. Hon. P.J Noel-Baker, United Kingdom; John G. Winant, United States, and Andrija Stampar, Yugoslavia. (25 May 1946 United Nations, Hunter College, New York)

Economic and Social Council,  2nd Session
25 May - 21 June 1946
New York

During its second session, the Economic and Social Council adopted Resolution 9(II) on 21 June 1946, which accepted the Nuclear Commission's report, E/38/Rev.1, and set up terms of reference for the Commission on Human Rights. Resolution 9(II) also requested the Secretary-General to compile information on existing human rights treaties, information on human rights relating to the Nuremburg and Tokyo trials and a survey of the development of human rights and plans and declarations from specialized agencies and international organizations.This task was assigned to the Secretariat's Division of Human Rights, then headed by John Humphrey.

The Council assigned the task of making provision "for the implementation of human rights and of an international bill of rights" to the new Commission on Human Rights (Resolution 9(II)). This resolution also established the Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and the Press; the Sub-Commission on Protection of Minorities and the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination.

Documents

Meeting Records

Reports and Actions