History of the Declaration

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed to never again allow atrocities like those of that conflict to happen again. World leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere. Read more here History of the Declaration | United Nations

Drafters of the Declaration

In February 1947, a group consisting of Eleanor Roosevelt, Pen-Chun Chang and Charles Malik began drafting the International Bill of Human Rights. With assistance of the UN Secretariat, the task of formulating a preliminary draft was given to John Humphrey, Director of the UN Secretariat’s Division for Human Rights. Read more here Drafters of the Declaration | United Nations

Women Who Shaped the Declaration

Women delegates from various countries played a key role in getting women’s rights included in the Declaration. Hansa Mehta of India is widely credited with changing the phrase “All men are born free and equal” to “All human beings are born free and equal” in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Read more here Human Rights Day – Women who shaped the Universal Declaration | United Nations