Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): 30 Articles - 30 Documents: Exhibit for the 75th Anniversary

The 1995 World Summit for Social Development was convened to tackle the social problems facing the planet, particularly wide-spread poverty on a global scale. The Summit contributed significantly to the advancement of international social law beyond the human rights framework. It concluded with the adoption of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development.

The Declaration applied the concept of sustainable development as a guiding concept: “We are deeply convinced that economic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development, which is the framework for our efforts to achieve a higher quality of life for all people.” To emphasize the importance of the social aspects of development the term “social and people-centred sustainable development” was introduced, which meant that economies should be directed to meeting human needs more effectively. The Declaration defined absolute poverty as “a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information” and further specified that poverty depended not only on income, but also on access to social services.

UN Photo/Redenius, #149412

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was adopted in 1979 and is often described as an international bill of rights for women. The Convention defines what constitutes discrimination against women and set up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. State Parties have an obligation to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women by any person, organization or enterprise, in all spheres of life.

The Convention defines discrimination against women as “any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.”

CEDAW promotes a woman’s equal right to work and to enjoy work-related benefits, including equal pay for equal work and access to related social benefits; it also provides for protective measures related to women’s work and maternity rights.

UN Photo/UNESCO/Roger, #311576

Paid annual holidays for workers did not become widespread until after the Second World War. The purpose of paid annual holidays was to give workers a reasonable amount of time away from work to permit rest, recreation and recuperation from accumulated physical and mental strain. An annual holiday was considered not just a pleasant activity, but an important measure in protecting a worker’s health and well-being.

The earliest standards were laid down in the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Holidays with Pay Convention, (No. 52) in 1936. This Convention was revised in 1970, and the new ILO instrument (No. 132) prescribed a holiday of at least three working weeks for one year of service. Article 7 of the Convention laid down the principle that a worker should receive “at least his normal or average remuneration (including the cash equivalent of any part of that remuneration which is paid in kind and which is not a permanent benefit continuing whether or not the person concerned is on holiday), calculated in a manner to be determined by the competent authority or through the appropriate machinery in each country”.

Together with other international labour standards, the Convention ensures high productivity while safeguarding workers' physical and mental health.

UN Photo/Martine Perret, #443103

In 2012 the Human Rights Council appointed an independent expert, John Knox, to study the human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

The 2013 mapping report of the independent expert (A/HRC/25/53) revealed that the human rights bodies on environmental issues agreed that environmental harm can and often does interfere with the full enjoyment of human rights, including rights to life and health, and that States have the obligation to protect against such interference.

In January 2018, the final report of John Knox to the Council presented 16 framework principles on human rights and the environment that set out these obligations in detail. Framework principle 1 and 2 affirm that, “Human rights and environmental protection are interdependent. A safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment is necessary for the full enjoyment of human rights, including the rights to life, to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, to an adequate standard of living, to adequate food, to safe drinking water and sanitation, to housing, to participation in cultural life and to development, as well as the right to a healthy environment itself.”

UN Photo/John Isaac, #71022

UNESCO’s 1960 Convention against Discrimination in Education laid the foundation for the right to education based on principles of freedom and non-discrimination of any kind. The binding treaty established the provisions for the creation of legal and policy frameworks to ensure equality of access to quality education and to afford the same opportunities to all students in primary, secondary, and higher education.

Subsequent international instruments, including the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education (1989) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006), build on the provisions of the Convention. The Convention informs the Education 2030 Framework for Action that recognizes the right to education as a key enabler for achieving the SDGs overall. Regular consultations among Member States and the Right to Education Global Database ensure accountability and facilitate the exchange of best practices and legislative resources that advance the implementation of the Convention’s provisions.

At the 2017 consultation, Member States highlighted both progress made and challenges faced in achieving equity of educational opportunities for refugees and migrants, for children with disabilities or from poor households, as well as for children belonging to indigenous or minority groups.

UN Photo/Mark Garten, #668914

In this report, preferably read in conjunction with the related reports on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications (A/HRC/20/26) and on patent policy (A/70/279), the Special Rapporteur examines the increasing tension between intellectual property law and copyright and discusses the human right to science and culture. The Rapporteur goes on to make practical and wide-reaching proposals to balance the legitimate rights of authors and creators of scientific knowledge and cultural works with those of the wider public to benefit from scientific progress.

The Special Rapporteur points out in the report that existing copyright laws and intellectual property regimes, including those promulgated in trade agreements, favour commercial use, often by secondary rights holders, such as publishers, over the interests of authors, creators and the public, and states that “economic interests do not enjoy the status of human rights”.

The report states that from a human rights perspective, copyright policy and industry practices should be judged by how well they serve the interests of human authors in addition to the public’s interest in cultural participation. It considers scientific knowledge to be a public good, as access to scientific knowledge by all is a prerequisite for the individual’s realization of other human rights, such as the right to health, food, education and housing, and the emerging right to a clean environment.

UN Photo/Kari Berggrav, #325060