Human rights

Human rights refers to the concept of human beings as having universal rights, or status, regardless of legal jurisdiction, and likewise other localizing factors, such as ethnicity and nationality.

Human Rights Instruments within the United Nations

In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Related Topics:
1948 - United Nations - Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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The Declaration limits the behavior of the state, which now has duties to the citizen (rights-duty duality). The main content of the Declaration was later made into two legally binding Covenants: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (opened for signature 1966, entered into force March 23, 1976) http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_ccpr.htm and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (opened for signature 1966, entered into force January 3, 1976) http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_cescr.htm.

Related Topics:
Rights-duty duality - International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

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Together these three documents constitute the International Bill of Human Rights.

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Other human rights conventions of note include:

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• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (entry into force: 1951) http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/p_genoci.htm
• Convention against Torture (entry into force: 1984) http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/h_cat39.htm
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (entry into force: 1969) http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/d_icerd.htm
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (entry into force: 1981) http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/frame.htm
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (entry into force: 1989) http://www.unicef.org/crc/crc.htm
• Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (entry into force: 2002)

A modern interpretation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was made in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/vienna.htm

Related Topics:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action

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