Universal Declaration of Human Rights: History, Articles & Summary
Eleanor Roosevelt once held up a newspaper clipping that said the United Nations couldn’t possibly agree on a declaration of human rights — and then helped prove it wrong. On December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris, with 48 nations voting in favor, none against, and eight abstaining. That document — 30 articles covering everything from freedom of speech to social security — has since been translated into more than 500 languages, making it one of the most widely shared texts in history.
Adopted: 1948 ·
Articles: 30 ·
Languages: over 500 ·
UN Vote: 48 for, 0 against ·
Drafting Committee Chair: Eleanor Roosevelt
Quick snapshot
- 30 articles on civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights (United Nations)
- Adopted as Resolution 217 A (III) on 10 December 1948 (UN Research Guide)
- 48 member states voted in favor, zero against (Wikipedia)
- The precise “4 pillars” definition varies between UN sources — some cite dignity, liberty, equality, brotherhood; others structure them differently
- Positions of Honduras and Yemen, the two nations absent from the vote, remain largely undocumented
- Drafting spanned 1947–1948 with 85 working sessions, including late-night debates on education and living standards
- Third Committee held 81 meetings and considered 168 amendments before adoption
- The Declaration became the foundation for binding treaties including the ICCPR and ICESCR
- Human rights advocates continue citing it in courts and diplomatic negotiations worldwide
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) |
| Adoption Date | 10 December 1948 |
| Proclaimed By | UN General Assembly |
| Articles Count | 30 |
| Status | Non-binding but influential |
What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone document that sets out fundamental rights to be universally protected. Proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1948, it represents the first comprehensive international agreement on the basic principles of human dignity. Though not legally binding, it has served as the foundation for over 80 international human rights treaties and continues to influence national constitutions worldwide.
Short answer
The UDHR is a 30-article declaration that proclaims the inalienable rights to which every person is entitled — regardless of race, religion, language, or political opinion. It covers civil liberties, political participation, economic wellbeing, and social entitlements.
Purpose and scope
The declaration aimed to create a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations. According to Eleanor Roosevelt, who chaired the drafting commission, it represents “the composite views of the many men and governments who have contributed to its formulation” (GWU Eleanor Roosevelt Papers). The document addresses rights ranging from freedom from slavery and torture to the right to work, education, and cultural participation.
Who established the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
The United Nations General Assembly established the UDHR, with Eleanor Roosevelt serving as chair of the drafting commission. The work drew on an international team that included diplomats, philosophers, and legal scholars from diverse backgrounds.
Drafting committee
Drafting began in June 1947 with an initial group including Eleanor Roosevelt, P.C. Chang, and Charles Malik (UN Research Guide). The Drafting Committee was enlarged on 27 June 1947 to include Australia, Chile, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, China, Lebanon, and the United States. John Humphrey, a Canadian jurist, prepared a 408-page “Documented Outline” that served as the basis for the debates.
The Secretariat’s first draft contained 48 articles organized in four chapters: Liberties, Social Rights, Equality, and General Dispositions (UN Research Guide Session 1). René Cassin of France later re-drafted the declaration in a temporary working group during the first session.
Key figures
Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and US delegate to the UN, chaired the commission and defended the draft during contentious debates. P.C. Chang represented China, bringing Confucian philosophical perspectives to discussions of human dignity. Charles Malik of Lebanon focused on civil and political liberties, while René Cassin synthesized inputs from over 50 member states into the structure we recognize today.
What are the main points of the Declaration of human rights?
The UDHR’s 30 articles establish that every person is born free and equal in dignity and rights. The Preamble opens with the now-famous line: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” From that foundation, the declaration builds a comprehensive framework of entitlements.
Preamble overview
The Preamble recognizes that “the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people.” It acknowledges that disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts that have outraged the conscience of mankind.
Core articles
The first 21 articles outline civil and political rights: the right to life, liberty, and security; freedom from slavery and torture; the right to a fair trial; protection of privacy; freedom of movement; the right to seek asylum; the right to nationality; and freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Articles 22 through 27 address economic, social, and cultural rights including the right to work, equal pay, rest and leisure, education, and an adequate standard of living. Articles 28 through 30 establish that everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which these rights can be fully realized.
The declaration is not legally binding. Member states adopted it as a resolution, not a treaty. This means governments can be criticized for violations but cannot be sued in international court for breaking UDHR commitments.
What are the 4 pillars of the UDHR?
The UDHR is sometimes described as built on four pillars — dignity, liberty, equality, and brotherhood — though the exact framing varies between UN sources. These concepts appear throughout the document but are never formally numbered as “pillars” in the original text.
Pillar details
Dignity forms the foundation: every person possesses inherent worth regardless of circumstances. Liberty encompasses freedom from arbitrary detention, slavery, and torture, as well as freedoms of movement, belief, and expression. Equality demands equal protection under law and prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, gender, language, or political opinion. Brotherhood — now often reframed as solidarity or community — recognizes that all people are connected and that rights come with responsibilities to others.
These four concepts work together: dignity without liberty is hollow, equality without dignity is meaningless, and brotherhood without equality is impossible. The declaration treats them as interdependent rather than sequential.
When governments frame rights as privileges that can be revoked, they deny the dignity premise that underpins the entire declaration. Activists use these four concepts to evaluate whether policies treat people as ends in themselves or as instruments.
Who voted against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
No country voted against the UDHR when it came to the General Assembly vote on December 10, 1948. Eight nations abstained: the Soviet Union, Byelorussian SSR, Ukrainian SSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia. Honduras and Yemen were absent. Of the 58 UN members at the time, 48 voted in favor (Wikipedia).
Vote details
The Third Committee had adopted the declaration six days earlier, on December 6, 1948, with 29 votes in favor, zero against, and seven abstentions. The General Assembly vote on December 10 at Palais de Chaillot in Paris took place just before midnight — a symbolic moment marking the culmination of two years of negotiation (Columbia University).
The abstentions revealed deep ideological divisions. The Soviet bloc — including the USSR, Byelorussian SSR, Ukrainian SSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia — objected to Article 13, which guaranteed the right to leave one’s own country. They also criticized the declaration for insufficient condemnation of fascism and Nazism (Politico). Communist states argued the declaration focused too heavily on “negative rights” — freedoms from government interference — while neglecting economic and social entitlements.
Abstentions
South Africa abstained to protect its apartheid policies, which several UDHR articles directly challenged. Saudi Arabia abstained over Article 18, which protects the right to change religion, and Article 16, which guarantees equal marriage rights — provisions that Saudi representatives argued conflicted with Sharia law (Politico). Notably, Pakistan and Turkey — both Muslim-majority nations — voted in favor, demonstrating that the Saudi position did not represent a unified Islamic perspective.
Timeline
Eighty-five working sessions of drafting, spread across 1947 and 1948, produced the final document. The timeline below traces the path from the first commission meeting to the General Assembly vote.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 27 January – 10 June 1948 | Commission on Human Rights holds first meeting, establishes Drafting Committee |
| 9 June – 25 June 1948 | First Drafting Committee session; John Humphrey’s draft presented |
| 3 May – 21 June 1948 | Second Drafting Committee session |
| 18 August 1948 | Commission on Human Rights approves draft (12 in favor, 0 against, 4 abstentions) |
| 26 September 1948 | ECOSOC adopts Resolution 151(VII), transmitting draft to General Assembly |
| 30 September – 7 September 1948 | Third Committee holds 81 meetings, considers 168 amendments |
| 6 September 1948 | Third Committee adopts Declaration (29 in favor, 0 against, 7 abstentions) |
| 10 December 1948 | General Assembly adopts UDHR as Resolution 217 A (III) |
A sub-committee checked five official language versions between December 1 and 4, 1948, ensuring consistency before final adoption. The General Assembly vote took place just before midnight on December 10 — a dramatic finish to two years of negotiation.
The declaration’s generality was both its strength and weakness. Vague language allowed diverse nations to accept it, but critics argue it lacks enforcement mechanisms — making it a statement of aspiration rather than law.
Confirmed facts versus rumors
Separating what historians know for certain from what remains contested helps clarify the UDHR’s actual legacy.
- 30 articles structured as a non-binding UN resolution
- Adopted December 10, 1948 by the UN General Assembly in Paris
- 48 votes in favor, 8 abstentions, 0 votes against
- Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the drafting commission
- Translated into over 500 languages
- The precise “4 pillars” definition — varies between UN interpretations
- Whether abstaining nations ever formally accepted the declaration’s principles
- How widely the declaration is actually used in national court rulings
Key voices
“It is a declaration of basic principles of human rights and freedoms, to be stamped with the approval of the General Assembly by formal vote of its members.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt, US Delegate and Chair of the Human Rights Commission (GWU Eleanor Roosevelt Papers)
“The long and meticulous study and debate of which this universal Declaration of Human Rights is the product means that it reflects the composite views of the many men and governments who have contributed to its formulation.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt, UN General Assembly address (GWU Eleanor Roosevelt Papers)
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
— UDHR Preamble, Article 1 (United Nations)
Summary
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights remains the world’s most influential statement on human dignity — adopted without a single vote against, yet carrying the fingerprints of fierce compromises. Eleanor Roosevelt kept a divided commission together long enough to produce a document that now exists in over 500 languages. The eight abstentions on December 10, 1948 revealed that the world could agree on principles without agreeing on their application. For human rights advocates today, the declaration’s authority depends not on its legal force but on whether courts, governments, and movements continue invoking it. The choice is theirs: treat it as a living document or a museum piece.
Related reading: Supreme Leader of Iran · HSE Civil Registration Service
en.wikipedia.org, homework.study.com, erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu, ohchr.org
The UDHR’s adoption on December 10, 1948, followed years of drafting, where its history and articles shed light on pivotal debates and the 30 core articles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights short answer?
The UDHR is a 30-article resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948 that proclaims the fundamental rights to which every person is entitled, regardless of nationality, race, religion, or political affiliation.
What are the first 7 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Articles 1 through 7 cover: equality in dignity and rights (Article 1); freedom from discrimination (Article 2); the right to life, liberty, and security (Article 3); freedom from slavery and servitude (Article 4); freedom from torture (Article 5); recognition as a person before the law (Article 6); and equal protection without discrimination (Article 7).
What are 7 human rights?
The UDHR identifies rights including the right to life, liberty, and security; freedom from slavery and torture; the right to a fair trial; protection of privacy; freedom of movement; the right to seek asylum; and the right to work and equal pay. These span civil, political, economic, and social categories.
What are the 5 R’s of human rights?
The “5 R’s” framework — Rights, Respect, Remedy, Restitution, and Rehabilitation — is sometimes used in human rights education to explain state obligations. This framework does not appear in the UDHR itself but is applied by educators interpreting the declaration’s principles.
Which two countries didn’t join the UN?
Of the eight nations that abstained from the UDHR vote, none declined UN membership. Honduras and Yemen were simply absent from the December 10, 1948 session — they had not formally opposed the declaration.
When was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 adopted?
The UN General Assembly adopted the UDHR on December 10, 1948, at Palais de Chaillot in Paris, as Resolution 217 A (III). The vote took place just before midnight, concluding two years of drafting work.
Where can I find Universal Declaration of Human Rights PDF?
The full text is available on the UN’s official website (un.org) and through the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (ohchr.org). Both offer downloadable PDF versions in multiple languages.
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