The Women Who Shaped the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

70 years ago, Eleanor Roosevelt was instrumental in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But she was not alone. Discover who are the women who shaped the major instrument for the defense of Human Rights.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔.” - Eleanor Roosevelt, US First Lady 1933-1945 and Chair of the drafting committee of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

 United Nations Geneva

@UNGeneva

 

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒔.” - Eleanor Roosevelt, US First Lady 1933-1945 and Chair of the drafting committee of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights  https://x.com/UNGeneva/status/1992850779430846743/photo/1

 

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES & QUOTES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]  

 

 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

https://www.un.org/en/about-us/udhr/history-of-the-declaration 

History of the Declaration  

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, was the result of the experience of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed to never again allow atrocities like those of that conflict to happen again. World leaders decided to complement the UN Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of every individual everywhere. The document they considered, and which would later become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was taken up at the first session of the General Assembly in 1946.  

 

"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..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

Dear America- Freedom, justice and peace: These ideals should be our New Year's resolution- for everyone's sake.

Jimmy Carter, along with his beloved wife Rosalynn, worked tirelessly to build homes for the poor with Habitat for Humanity

Dear America (letter just sent to my elected officials),

As we mourn our 39th President Jimmy Carter's death, as well as two horrific acts of violence in New Orleans and in front of the Trump Tower in Los Vegas, please let us step towards building peace, not more and more violence and war.

We call it TERRORISM when violence is done by an individual or small group, and WAR when it is done by a Sovereign Nation.   We arm the Sovereign Nation and excuse it when uses violence and state sponsored terrorism against individuals and vulnerable families, which in turn sends the message worldwide that violence against civilians is OK by US.

Having and beating slaves was legal in America 170 years ago.  Just because something is technically legal, does not make it right or good.

I object to our tax money being used to fund and empower the weapons industry and Israel, a militarily powerful and affluent sovereign nation that has been building Apartheid in Palestine for generations now.

Israel's genocidal policies towards Palestinian men, women and children have to be stopped... Just because you have your head in the sand does not mean all the world is clueless about Israel's escalating crimes against humanity.  Meanwhile China is rising in power and influence while America is falling.

After the horrors of the NAZI Holocaust our First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt helped shape the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights "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"  https://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights/universal-declaration/translations/english

Freedom, justice and peace:  These ideals should be our New Year's resolution- for everyone's sake. 

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

Notes  https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

From Panama to Palestine, Jimmy Carter refused to let his moral voice be silenced: Carter signed treaties to hand over the Panama Canal and criticized Israel, drawing respect and fury past his one term - Chris McGreal 30 Dec 2024 in The Guardian

If Americans Knew: Warsaw 1944, Gaza 2024

Requiem for a Refugee Camp- In October, 2023, I could not imagine anything worse than the destruction in Jabalia refugee camp. But what is happening now outstrips anything I saw there. By Mosab Abu Toha December 31, 2024 in The New Yorker

FROM & for PALESTINE: Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer... Emmanuel, you who were born in a stable and made your home among the oppressed. May your light pierce the darkness of violence and despair. Strengthen us to be bearers of that light, standing in solidarity with all who yearn for liberation and hope.

Feast of the Holy Innocents: Christian children in Bethlehem lay olivewood hearts, each representing a child killed in the Holy Land since October 7

The United Nations & The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Baby Jesus born in Bethehem Palestine

We will always carry their memory in all we do...

Maha Hussaini: Not only are Palestinians continuing to study under Israel's genocide, but they also hold Palestinian cultural activities in schools in displacement camps. Good morning from central #Gaza, where I met these beautiful girls wearing their Palestinian thobe on their way to school 12/16/2024

MIT Science for Genocide

Christmas IS Palestine .... where it all began

One the most iconic images of the Holy Land is the fish and loaves mosaic in the Church of the Multiplication at Tabgha on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Tolerance Is a Wasteland: Palestine and the Culture of Denial by Saree Makdisi author of Palestine Inside Out

Always, no matter what.... Even Wars Have Rules

"If the U.S. had held Israel accountable for the killing of other Americans like Rachel Corrie or Shireen Abu Akleh, perhaps Israeli soldiers would not feel so emboldened to kill Americans, and other civilians, today." Hamad Ali in The Hill 12/14/24

Dear America- Israel and its propagandists claim it is all about self-defense, but Israel is and has been the aggressor and the rule breaker.

Dear Elected Officials- Stop poisoning the land, and undermining international law.

My Letters https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/letters

 

"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..."   https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

Human Rights Day:

Realising the healthy international relations can be created only among populations made up of individuals who themselves are healthy and enjoy a measure a independence, the United Nations elaborated a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on December 10, 1948. - Albert Einstein

 

We stand today at the threshold of a great event both in the life of the United Nations and in the life of mankind, that is the approval by the General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. - Eleanor Roosevelt

 

America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense human rights invented America. - Jimmy Carter

 

Norman Rockwell's celebration of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Years from now students will study the Palestinian GENOCIDE and wonder HOW DID NO ONE STOP THIS??

 

 

Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)—Article 19 states that "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."

 

"Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."  

Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech in its entirety https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety

 

George Orwell statue at the headquarters of the BBC. A defence of free speech in an open society, the wall behind the statue is inscribed with the words "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear", words from George Orwell's proposed preface to Animal Farm (1945)

When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?

 

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... READ MORE

Golden Rule thinking every day for 69 years & counting: Happy 69th Birthday to the United Nations! #UNDay

Happy 69th Birthday to the United Nations!

From distributing food rations to improving maternal health, the United Nations is committed to helping people every day. Tell them why you support the UN. #UNDay

Golden Rule Thinking

Eleanor Roosevelt 14 years old in 1898... America's Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) helped shape the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948

The Commission on Human Rights was made up of 18 members from various political, cultural and religious backgrounds. Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, chaired the UDHR drafting committee. With her were René Cassin of France, who composed the first draft of the Declaration, the Committee Rapporteur Charles Malik of Lebanon, Vice-Chairman Peng Chung Chang of China, and John Humphrey of Canada, Director of the UN’s Human Rights Division, who prepared the Declaration’s blueprint. But Mrs. Roosevelt was recognized as the driving force for the Declaration’s adoption.

  After adopting it on December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly called upon all Member States 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."

 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.

My letter to the Guardian RE Netanyahu says US criticism of settlements is 'against American values'

Champion of Human Rights
America's Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)

RE Netanyahu says US criticism of settlements is 'against American values'
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/05/netanyahu-says-us-criticism-settlements-against-american-values

Dear Editor,

“The idea that we’d have this ethnic purification as a condition for peace, I think it’s anti-peace.” Yes indeed Netanyahu has a point about peace and American values, but he fails to apply the same exact logic to Israel's brutal mistreatment of the native non-Jewish Palestinians who have been refused their inalienable right to return to original homes and lands since Israel first started pushing them into forced exile more than sixty years ago.

Hussein Ibish points out in his most recent op-ed, US has a responsibility to rein in Israeli settlements http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/us-has-a-responsibility-to-rein-in-israeli-settlements, that "Hamas at least can claim to have established agency, initiative and momentum. Israel’s latest settlement activity seems almost calculated to play into their hands. It certainly delivers another brutal blow to Mr Abbas and all those who seek a negotiated agreement. It undermines the credibility of potential negotiations, and of the negotiators themselves."

Israel is playing a very VERY dangerous game of exasperating despair as well as religious extremism on all sides.

As Ziad Asali points out in his most recent op-ed Confronting ISIL: The Day and Decade "After"  "There is a vicious circle of mutual self-reinforcement between state and society failure on the one hand and the rise of extremist non-state actors on the other."

A fully secular two state solution to once and for all end the Israel-Palestine conflict ASAP is the best way forward. No more dithering, no more distractions, no more red herrings, no more shell games: Religion should be a personal private matter, not a state funded dictate determining who gets freedom, jobs, subsidized housing, security, justice, peace, and praise.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
American homemaker & poet

NOTES
Tala Haikal: "It may not be possible to immediately free all the kidnapped girls and women due to the scope of the conflict with ISIS and the geographical dispersal of the captives in various locations. Some of these women and girls can be freed only once ISIS is destroyed."

UN report spotlights 'staggering' Islamic State atrocities in Iraq... "The group, which is fighting in Iraq and Syria, has carried out a wide range of atrocities, including mass executions, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence against women and children"

"There is a vicious circle of mutual self-reinforcement between state and society failure on the one hand and the rise of extremist non-state actors on the other." Ziad Asali: Confronting ISIL: The Day and Decade "After"

USA Today... Sweden PM says nation will recognize Palestinian state: "It doesn't change a thing on the ground," Ibish said. "It changes the number of countries that have recognized the Palestinian state. It changes the Western commitment to a two-state solution, (and) it does put more pressure on Israel to make concessions."

Vatican seeks Mideast Christians' right of return

Salam Fayyad: How To Fix the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process

Excellent letter in the Guardian by Chris Doyle: Trouble and shock in the West Bank

STAY CONNECTED... Given the U.S. commitment to religious freedom, and to the international covenants that guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human being, the United States seeks to: Promote freedom of religion and conscience throughout the world as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability for all countries

US sharply criticizes new Israeli housing project

Non-violent resistance is Palestine’s most powerful weapon

Tala Haikal: Empathy Is Essential to Humanity

Normalizing Intelligent Conversations, Diplomatic Support, and Hope for Palestine... ATFP Panel Briefing: Israeli-Palestinian War in a New Regional Landscape.

ATFP... American Task Force on Palestine

ATFP Calls for De-Escalation between Israel and the Palestinians

To honor a tragic history, we must work for peace : "The only way to honor our tragic histories is to create a future for our children free of man-made tragedy. This means making peace fully, completely and without reservation, between Israel and Palestine." Ziad Asali

International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 2014

UNRWA photo and film archive for Palestine refugees

About UNWRA: ’The Long Journey of Palestine Refugee Women’ candidly portrays the lives and experiences of Palestine refugee women, this collection is a testament not only to their own strength and dignity, but also to the richness and resilience of their community.

Walking Palestine & The Abraham Path... a creative space for stories that highlight the unique culture, heritage and hospitality of the region

It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace... It's time for freedom from occupation... It's time for equal rights.... It's time for the healing of wounded souls..... World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel: "Let my people go!"... 21 - 27 September 2014 An initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches

Palestinian Refugees (1948-NOW) refused their right to return... and their right to live in peace free from religious bigotry and injustice.

1948

Time and time again I have watched the cycle of incitement and spin sabotage support for Palestine

Clarifying why Arab and Muslim Americans should be smart rather than stupid

Live by the Golden Rule

• “Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s actually remembering - remembering and not using your right to hit back.”

An Anne Frank Moment ... a poem by Anne Selden Annab

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?

America/Israel/Palestine 1776

America/Israel/Palestine 1948: 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.

The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

President Barack Obama's address to the United Nations General Assembly (transcript)

President Barack Obama's address to the United Nations General Assembly (transcript)

"...America is not the same as it was 100 years ago, 50 years ago, or
even a decade ago. Because we fight for our ideals, and are willing to
criticize ourselves when we fall short. Because we hold our leaders
accountable, and insist on a free press and independent judiciary. 
Because we address our differences in the open space of democracy – with
respect for the rule of law; with a place for people of every race and
religion; and with an unyielding belief in the ability of individual men
and women to change their communities and countries for the better.

After nearly six years as President, I believe that this promise can
help light the world. Because I’ve seen a longing for positive change –
for peace and freedom and opportunity – in the eyes of young people I’ve
met around the globe. They remind me that no matter who you are, or
where you come from, or what you look like, or what God you pray to, or
who you love, there is something fundamental that we all share. Eleanor
Roosevelt, a champion of the UN and America’s role in it, once asked,
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places,”
she said, “close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be
seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual
person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends;
the factory, farm or office where he works.”

The people of the world look to us, here, to be as decent, as dignified,
and as courageous as they are in their daily lives. And at this
crossroads, I can promise you that the United States of America will not
be distracted or deterred from what must be done. We are heirs to a
proud legacy of freedom, and we are prepared to do what is necessary to
secure that legacy for generations to come. Join us in this common
mission, for today’s children and tomorrow’s."

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/barack-obama-un-general-assembly-transcript-111288_Page2.html#ixzz3EFtyrcwe

My letter PUBLISHED CSM May 19, 2014 The 'big-ticket questions, such as Palestinian sovereignty, claims to Jerusalem, and the "right of return" ' are very relevant to the day-to-day lives of Palestinians.

Anemone coronaria flowers in Palestine. Photo By: Bahaa Nasser/WAFA

   [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Readers-Respond/2014/0519/Readers-Write-A-day-Japan-and-South-Korea-can-share-Palestinians-daily-struggles

Big questions affect Palestinians daily

Regarding the May 5 commentary “To work, Mideast peace must first address daily concerns,” by Matthew Longo, Daphna Canetti, and Nancy Hite-Rubin: The lived aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are indeed the core of the conflict, and ending Israel’s occupation and settlement projects in the illegally occupied territories should most certainly be a priority. However the “big-ticket questions, such as Palestinian sovereignty, claims to Jerusalem, and the ‘right of return’ of displaced Palestinians” are also very relevant to the day-to-day lives of Palestinians.

A just and lasting peace based on full respect for international law, universal human rights, and golden rule thinking shapes two separate sovereign states. Religion should be a personal, private choice for individuals and their families, not a state-funded dictate determining who gets freedom, job opportunities, and subsidized housing. As Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote: “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home....”

Anne Selden Annab
Mechanicsburg, Pa.

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY December 10, 2013: “Promoting human rights is one of the core purposes of the United Nations, and the Organization has pursued this mission since its founding,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day. “Then, as now, the key to success is the political will of Member States.”

After the Second World War and the creation of the United Nations, the international community pledged never again to allow atrocities such as those of that conflict. World leaders decided to complement the United Nations Charter with a road map to guarantee the rights of all people everywhere and at all times.

United Nations International Nursery School children examine a poster of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at its second anniversary. (New York, December 1950)

 Eleanor Roosevelt regarded the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as her greatest achievement. Mrs. Roosevelt, widow of the former US president and a lifelong human rights advocate, chaired the commission that drew up the text of the Universal Declaration, and was recognized as the driving force behind its adoption in Paris in December 1948.

Human Rights Day stems from the General Assembly’s adoption the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948. The Declaration sets out a broad range of fundamental human rights and freedoms to which all men and women, everywhere in the world, are entitled, without any distinction. ... photo story of the Declaration’s birth.

  2013 Human Rights Day: UN pays tribute to activists, landmark Vienna Declaration

Honouring human rights activism, including the legacy of Nelson Mandela, senior UN officials today mark Human Rights Day calling for greater political will and resources to implement laws and standards designed to promote and protect the rights and dignity of all people everywhere. 

 

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

The world mourns the passing of Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest statesmen of the modern era. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay remembers her fellow countryman as a man who fought for dignity and liberty for all citizens, regardless of race.

 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the World Conference on Human Rights, which led to the adoption of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, and the establishment of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to oversee the international human rights framework, promote human rights and protect individuals against abuse.

International Human Rights Law

The international human rights movement was strengthened when the United Nations General Assembly adopted of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10 December 1948. Drafted as ‘a common standard of achievement for all peoples and nations', the Declaration for the first time in human history spell out basic civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all human beings should enjoy. It has over time been widely accepted as the fundamental norms of human rights that everyone should respect and protect. The UDHR, together with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, form the so - called International Bill of Human Rights.

A series of international human rights treaties and other instruments adopted since 1945 have conferred legal form on inherent human rights and developed the body of international human rights. Other instruments have been adopted at the regional level reflecting the particular human rights concerns of the region and providing for specific mechanisms of protection. Most States have also adopted constitutions and other laws which formally protect basic human rights. While international treaties and customary law form the backbone of international human rights law other instruments, such as declarations, guidelines and principles adopted at the international level contribute to its understanding, implementation and development. Respect for human rights requires the establishment of the rule of law at the national and international levels.

International human rights law lays down obligations which States are bound to respect. By becoming parties to international treaties, States assume obligations and duties under international law to respect, to protect and to fulfil human rights. The obligation to respect means that States must refrain from interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human rights. The obligation to protect requires States to protect individuals and groups against human rights abuses. The obligation to fulfil means that States must take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights.

Through ratification of international human rights treaties, Governments undertake to put into place domestic measures and legislation compatible with their treaty obligations and duties. Where domestic legal proceedings fail to address human rights abuses, mechanisms and procedures for individual complaints or communications are available at the regional and international levels to help ensure that international human rights standards are indeed respected, implemented, and enforced at the local level.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 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.

The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Live by the Golden Rule

What is an Israeli settlement.... it is a tax payer plus charity investment in highways, housing, freedom, jobs, security, and respect for Jewish Israelis, while the native non-Jewish Palestinians are persecuted, impoverished, pushed into forced exile- and demonized for objecting to such institutionalized bigotry and blatant injustice.

 

Palestine Remembered

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."Eleanor Roosevelt