The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in Paris in 1948 as resolution 217 A. Its 30 articles set out civil, political, economic and social rights as 'a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations'. It is a declaration, not a treaty, but it inspired more than seventy human rights treaties.
Key facts
- Proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in Paris in 1948 as resolution 217 A; 30 articles.
- Hansa Mehta of India is credited with changing Article 1 to 'all human beings'.
- Translated into more than 500 languages; it inspired over seventy human rights treaties.
Why exams ask about it
The date of Human Rights Day, the number of articles and Hansa Mehta's role are the usual questions.