Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted
- Date
- 10 December 1948
- Category
- Politics & governance
- Region
- Global (adopted in Paris, France)
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
On 10 December 1948 the United Nations General Assembly, meeting at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as Resolution 217 A (III).
Drafted by a committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt with major contributions from figures such as Rene Cassin, John Humphrey, Charles Malik and Peng-chun Chang, the document set out in 30 articles a common standard of fundamental rights and freedoms held to be inherent, inalienable and applicable to all people. Of the 58 UN member states, 48 voted in favour, none against, with eight abstentions (including the Soviet bloc, Saudi Arabia and South Africa) and two not voting. Conceived in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust, the Declaration was not a binding treaty but became the foundational reference for the modern international human-rights system, inspiring later binding covenants, regional charters and national constitutions. It remains one of the most translated documents in the world and a touchstone of postwar international order.
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Empires active in 10 December 1948
- Soviet Union1922 CE – 1991 CE
- French Colonial Empire (Second)1830 CE – 1962 CE
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Spanish Empire1492 CE – 1976 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
- Solomonic dynasty1270 CE – 1974 CE
Related politics & governance events
- Establishment of Apartheid in South Africa1948
- Founding of the People's Republic of China1 October 1949
- Independence and Partition of British India14–15 August 1947
- Construction of the Berlin Wall13 August 1961
- Iranian RevolutionJanuary–February 1979
- Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika1985–1991 (from 11 March 1985)
Further reading
The wider story
The Penguin History of the World
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