After two World Wars and millions of lives lost, the United Nations came up with a milestone document — the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UDHR is a set of principles and standards that everyone on the planet should respect. Since its adoption, many regions of the world have established their own systems for protecting human rights and ensuring their compliance with international standards. Corporations and international financial institutions are also bound by the same standards, as well as by a range of multilateral agreements, which require them to avoid complicity in human rights abuses.
Many people think of freedoms like speech and belief when they hear the term “human rights.” But human rights are much broader than that. They encompass the right to choose a career, marry and have children, travel widely, work gainfully and enjoy leisure activities — all without fear of harassment or discrimination. Human rights are intrinsically connected, which is why the UDHR stipulates that no one right is more important than another, and that each right builds on and complements the enjoyment of other rights.
Article 2
No one should be arbitrarily denied or deprived of life, liberty, security and health. Governments have the responsibility to ensure that these rights are respected, including by taking measures to prevent their violations and by investigating allegations of abuse. The Declaration states that there should be “no distinction whatsoever on the ground of race, sex, colour, religion or political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or any other status” in the application of these rights.
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