October, 2002

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Dr. Ghanem Hamad Al-Najjar

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, issued in 1948, remains the most important document in terms of determining the basis and concepts of human rights worldwide. More than 200 agreements covering human rights, in addition to numerous general and specialised documents, have been issued during the last half century based on the declaration. Yet there is a clear reluctance to study the declaration and examine the circumstances surrounding its issuance; a matter that has resulted in a number of misconceptions.

Most analyses of the declaration start from the assumption that it was a purely Western endeavour to control the world. This belief can be attributed to a number of factors, chief among which is the lack of original documentary studies on the declaration, its origins and those who participated in its creation. There is also a clear mixing between Western political behaviour on the international level and the West’s use of human-rights principles to justify its political pressure against others – a policy definitely not devoid of double standards. These factors, and particularly the West’s oppressive use of human-rights principles, have, for many, decreased the interest in studying the declaration.

Closer examination of the background, however, reveals that the West’s part in the formulation of the declaration was more political pragmatism than intellectual participation. And contrary to the belief that the declaration was Western in origin, most of the participants in the 1945 San Francisco Conference with a clear vision of the concept of human rights were Latin American and other Third World countries, including Arab and Islamic ones. The larger countries, and especially the United States and the Soviet Union, were opposed to the declaration and did not want it to become an international obligation.

The preparation of the declaration passed through seven stages, during which it was criticised and amended many times. At that time, it was the only UN document to attract such discussion and be altered so many times, which also undermines the prevalent belief that the declaration was a conspiracy to impose Western thought over other cultures. The final formula of the declaration indeed reflected the political and cultural tendencies of those participating in its formulation.