8.4a the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Question 1

what is it

Answer 1

• signed in 1948 by 48 countries
• provides a common understanding of the rights that every human being should be entitled to, and also to form a basis for freedom, justice and peace

Question 2

how does it promote human rights

Answer 2

• the article lists 30 articles that define ‘human rights’ and states that these should be protected by law
• it provides a universal set of minimum standards for how people should be treated

Question 3

controversies

Answer 3

• not all countries signed and ratified the UDHR in 1948
• 8 countries abstained from voting including Poland, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, South Africa …

South Africa - to protect its system of apartheid

Saudi Arabia - its conservative Islamic beliefs don’t agree with freedom of religious choice or equal rights of women in marriage –> Arabian women were only allowed to vote for the first time in 2015

since the 21st century, there has been an increase in the number of ‘authoritarian’ countries which has further limited human rights

• executions still take place in Pakistan
• slavery exists in Mauritania
• discrimination against women continues (Saudi Arabia)

some Islamic countries produced their own similar version of the UDHR - the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam

Question 4

evaluation of whether it’s effective in promoting human rights

Answer 4

• an inspiration for national and international efforts to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms
• the Declaration has inspired more than 80 international conventions and treaties
• it is not legally binding
• it forms a statement of intent and a framework for foreign policy statements to explain economic interventions
• since 1948, violations of the UDHR have been used to justify a number of military interventions