“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…”
This is the opening sentence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a historic document passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The UDHR affirms all individual’s inalienable and indivisible human rights (including the right to life, right to freedom of religion, and right to healthcare).
This document was the first to establish the global norm that every human deserves fundamental rights, regardless of their gender, race, nationality or any other identity marker. It also served as the foundation for the International Bill of Human Rights, which codified the UDHR’s values in international law.
The International Bill of Human Rights truly gets to the essence of interdependence, as it establishes a legal order based on inherent moral value that transcends the sovereignty of individual states, implies joint responsibility to uphold human rights, and ultimately reinforces our one shared humanity.
Take a deeper dive into human rights by exploring the resources below.
Answer the question posed at the end:
Do you think the UDHR is missing anything?
If so, what universal human rights should be added to the UDHR?
Discuss with those around you.
Explore these resources and guiding questions
Take Action!
JOIN AN INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN
- Amnesty International
- Take Action — links to petitions and addressed email templates for a multitude of international issues
- Write for Rights — write letters for people around the world who need urgent help
- International Federation for Human Rights — Join a campaign
- Refugees International — Call it Genocide
- Protection International — Join a campaign
- Polaris — Take Action
- Take Action with GLSEN — Advocate for LGBTQIA+ Rights
- Take Action with National Disability Rights Network
KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS
“No one is illegal” photo by Miko Guziuk on Unsplash
Examine the universality of human rights
RESOURCES
- Are Human Rights Universal?
- Shadows of Universalism: The Untold Story of Human Rights, by Lydia H. Liu
- What are Human Rights?
- Cultural and Linguistic Relativism
- Metaethics
DISCUSSION Q’s
- What does morality mean to you?
- Do you believe that there are any moral facts?
- Do you think human rights are universal? In other words, is it possible to create a moral code of human rights that every culture or person in the world will agree with?
- Should any society be able to reject international human rights norms if they do not agree with them?
- Is it ok to be intolerant of another culture’s beliefs or values?
- Does the UDHR maintain the same meaning in every language?
FURTHER READING
- Human Rights, by Encyclopedia Britannica
- “International Human Rights Norms and Muslim Experiences,” by Mahmood Monshipouri
- The Universalism of Human Rights, by Rainier Arnold
- In Defense of Universal Human Rights, by Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann
Explore the efficacy of the international humanitarian regime
Much international human rights work is carried out by the UNHCR and by INGOs (International Non-Governmental Organizations). INGOs, like Amnesty International and the Red Cross, engage in both advocacy and operational relief efforts. Do the UNHCR and INGOs work as they should?
RESOURCES
- The Humanitarian Principles, by EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid
- The Trouble With Humanitarianism, by Roberto Belloni
- Refugees are protected by international human rights and refugee law (What Does it Mean To Be a Refugee?). In 2019, there were 26 million refugees and 4.2 million stateless people (data from the UNHCR). These stateless people are often forced to stay in refugee camps run by the UNHCR and INGOs. Watch the movie Welcome to Refugeestan to learn more.
DISCUSSION Q’s
- Is the portrayal of refugee camps in Welcome to Refugeestan what you expected? Had you had a glimpse of these tragedies before this video?
- Do you think refugees are actually being afforded the human rights protections they deserve?
- How can humanitarian groups provide effective support to vulnerable populations?
FURTHER READING
- Help or Harm: The Human Security Effects of International NGOs, by Amanda Murdie
- Internal Affairs: How the Structure of NGOs Transforms Human Rights, by Wendy H. Wong
- In Defense of Universal Human Rights, by Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann
Evaluate the relationship between government, society, and international law
RESOURCES
- Think Again: International Law, by Eric Posner
- Bystanders to Genocide, by Samantha Power
- 20th Century Genocides and Mass Atrocities
- What is genocide?
- Despite the international legal protections guaranteed to refugees, many Western countries have long held a stigma against migrants — including refugees — and have resisted opening their borders and societies. Watch this John Oliver segment which focuses on the responses of the U.S. and European countries to migration, specifically to the Syrian refugee crisis.
DISCUSSION Q’s
- Where should the line be drawn between state sovereignty and defending human rights as a global community?
- Why are governments hesitant about providing support to those who need it?
- What do you make of the international response to the Rwandan genocide? In an ideal world, what should the response have been?
- Why does genocide denial exist? How can an international community hold governments accountable for this denial?
FURTHER READING
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- Book list on the genocide of indigenous Americans
- A Century After Armenian Genocide, Turkey’s Denial Only Deepens. The Armenian Genocide occured in 1915, and yet many countries around the world, like England and Israel, do not recognize the event due to messy overtones of geopolitics.
- Twin Threats: How the Politics of Fear and the Crushing of Civil Society Imperil Global Rights, by Kenneth Roth
- “Without Rules: A Failed Approach to Corporate Accountability,” by Chris Albin-Lackey
- Human Rights for the 21st Century: Sovereignty, Civil Society, and Culture, by Helen M. Stacy
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