The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, was the first international agreement to put people before power politics. It recognised that everyone, everywhere, has essential dignity and is entitled to equal treatment and respect. Its disruptive power drove liberation struggles and equality demands in communities and nations around the world. Today, many national constitutions and legal frameworks include UDHR provisions.
It declares that all humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights and are endowed with a right to life. It says that no one should be subject to any discrimination based on race, colour, religion or belief, geographical origin, political or economic status, gender, or sex. It calls on governments to protect human rights and guarantees that citizens can call on the courts to protect them.
These rights are called inalienable because no one can voluntarily give them up or allow others to take them away from them. They are interdependent and interrelated because the realization of each of them – whether civil, political, economic or social – depends in part or in whole on the realization of the other rights.
Human rights cover every aspect of human life. They’re a moral and legal demand for a decent standard of living, which should be respected and protected by all states. They are also enforceable through legal processes at the regional and international levels. For example, the UN’s Commission on Human Rights has the power to monitor and enforce global compliance with a number of the human rights treaties.