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 cooperation 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
I
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
Everyone has the right
to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
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 to 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.
G.A. res.
217A (III), U.N. Doc A/810 at 71 (1948)
Adopted on
December 10, 1948
by the General Assembly of the United Nations (without dissent)
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