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 co-operation 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
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.
Article
2.
Everyone
is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without
distinction of any kind, such as race, color, 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 offense 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 defense.
(2)
No one shall be held guilty of any penal offense on account of any act or omission which
did not constitute a penal offense, 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 offense was committed.
Article
12.
No
one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or
correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor 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 of 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 favorable
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 favorable 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.