 United
Nations
"all human rights for all"
50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
1948 - 1998
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here for the Aramaic (Syriac) translationUniversal
Declaration of Human Rights
On December 10, 1948 the General
Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights the full text of which appears in the following page. Following this historic
act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration
and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in
schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political
status of countries or territories."
PREAMBLE
Whereas recognition of the inherent
dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the
foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for
human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of
mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and
belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the
common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not
to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and
oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the
development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United
Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the
dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have
determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged
themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal
respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these
rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common
standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual
and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by
teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive
measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition
and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples
of territories under their jurisdiction.
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act
towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights
and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race,
colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the
basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory
to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under
any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty
and security of person.
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or
servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or
to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are
entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled
to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and
against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective
remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights
granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary
arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality
to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the
determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal
offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a
public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any
penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence,
under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a
heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence
was committed.
Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary
interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his
honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against
such interference or attacks.
Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom
of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any
country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and
to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in
the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary
to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a
nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily
deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without
any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found
a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at
its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only
with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and
fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own
property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily
deprived of his property.
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of
thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or
belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to
manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of
opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference
and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of
frontiers.
Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom
of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong
to an association.
Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part
in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal
access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the
basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine
elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote
or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22.
Everyone, as a member of society, has
the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and
international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each
State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the
free development of his personality.
Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to
free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection
against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any
discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to
just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy
of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and
to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and
leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a
standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family,
including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the
right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age
or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are
entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of
wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to
education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental
stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional
education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally
accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the
full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and
friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities
of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to
choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to
participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in
scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the
protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or
artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and
international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be
fully realized.
Article 29.
(1) Everyone has duties to the
community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and
freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law
solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms
of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general
welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no
case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be
interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity
or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth
herein.
Adopted and
proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of December 10, 1948.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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