The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a legal standard for freedom, equality and justice that all people are entitled to simply by being born. It embodies the principles that human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and that they are inalienable (cannot be voluntarily given up or taken away).
The idea of human rights is based on twin observations: that each person requires a wide range of values or capabilities to guarantee his or her well-being, and that these requirements are often frustrated by social as well as natural forces, resulting in exploitation, oppression and persecution. The result of these observations was the emergence of a belief that human rights are not only a moral and ethical demand, but also that they must be recognised through international legal processes and treaties.
In modern times, the UDHR has been the inspiration for more than seventy human rights treaties that are applied today on a permanent basis at global and regional levels. It has also served to guide the work of numerous national, regional and international institutions dedicated to monitoring and implementing these standards.
Nevertheless, the concept of human rights is not without its critics. There are many arguments concerning which rights should take priority, how they should be interpreted and whether they can or should be applied in different cultural contexts.
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