75 years of Universal Declaration of Human Rights: What has it achieved?

Seventy-five years ago on Sunday, the UN General Assembly approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at a meeting in Paris — laying one of the foundation stones of the international order that emerged following the horrors of World War II.

The declaration was proclaimed as “a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.” In practice, it hasn't always turned out that way over the subsequent decades.

What did it achieve?

The declaration isn’t a treaty and isn’t legally binding in itself, but the principles it sets out have been incorporated into many countries’ laws and it is viewed as the basis for international human rights law.

“It inspired the decolonisation movement, it inspired the anti-apartheid movement and it inspired freedom fighters all around the world, be it on gender issues, be it on LGBTIQ+ issues, be it against racism,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Wednesday. “If we did not have it, we would be even in a more serious situation because then you would have different standards, and let's also be very clear: It is the universal standard.” 

What is the situation now?

The 75th anniversary comes as human rights are challenged in the war between Israel and Hamas, Russia's war in Ukraine, internal conflicts in Myanmar and Sudan and in a host of other places and situations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the universal declaration has been “too often misused and abused.” “It is exploited for political gain and it is ignored, often, by the very same people,” he said.