The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is the foundational document of international human rights law.  Following the atrocities of World War II, the international community vowed to prevent such grave human rights abuses from occurring in the future.  To do this it created the UDHR, which contains thirty articles related to important civil, economic, social, cultural, and political rights.

The Commission on Human Rights, led by Eleanor Roosevelt, drafted the document and was made up of eighteen members from varying cultural, religious, and political backgrounds.  The final drafting of the document took two years to complete. It was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. Learn more >

The European Convention on Human Rights is an international agreement to protect civil and political rights in Europe. Adopted in 1950 by the Council of Europe following the destruction of World War II, the convention was modeled on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Like the UDHR, the European Convention protects the right to life and liberty, as well as freedom of expression and religion. Additionally, the Convention prohibits torture and discrimination.

The European Social Charter was established by the Council of Europe in 1961 (and revised in 1996) to broaden the scope of the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly in the areas of social and economic rights (e.g. housing, labor rights, employment, protection from social exclusion, etc.). Read document >

The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights is an international agreement to protect human rights throughout Africa. It was developed by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights is responsible for overseeing its enforcement.

The charter recognizes civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights for the people of Africa. These rights include freedom of religion and movement and freedom from slavery and other cruel or inhuman treatment, among others. The charter has been ratified by every member state of the African Union. Read document >

Held in June 1993, the World Conference on Human Rights was the first human rights conference following the end of the Cold War.  At the conference, 171 UN member states adopted the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, which strengthened the instruments for human rights monitoring.  The declaration also emphasized the need for speedy ratification of human rights instruments and created the post of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

In particular, the World Conference highlighted women's rights, indigenous peoples' rights, and minority rights. Read document >

UNESCO proclaimed the Declaration of Human Duties and Responsibilities in 1998 to strengthen the implementation and protection of human rights as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).  Although the UDHR formally extends thirty fundamental rights to all people, in many places these rights are not well-enforced. The document stresses the need for a shift from ‘formal equality’ to a ‘substantial equality’ and its goal is to ensure that these rights are legally enforceable around the world. Read document >

The League of Arab States* adopted the Arab Charter on Human Rights in May 2004.  It affirms many of the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; however, there have been many critics of the document, including the United Nations.  Many critics state that the charter does not push far enough to secure rights for women and non-citizens and allows for children to be subject to the death penalty. Read document >

In 2012, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.  The document details the organization’s commitment to protecting human rights in Southeast Asia; however, it has been strongly criticized by non-governmental organizations (e.g. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch), as well as by the UN Commissioner for Human Rights.  Although the document outlines many protected civil, political, social, and economic rights, critics claim that it fails to include several important freedoms, including freedom of association and freedom from enforced disappearances. Read document >