LA DECLARATION UNIVERSELLE DES DROITS DE L'HOMME - La Grande Explication

(Re)Watch more episodes of #LaGrandeExplication 👉 http://bit.ly/la-grande-explication Subscribe! 👉 http://bit.ly/2QLeh5V What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? On December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly, meeting in Paris at the Palais de Chaillot, adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Through its 30 articles, the text recognizes, among other things, that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, without distinction as to race, color, sex, or any other status. It specifies that no one shall be held in slavery or be subjected to torture; that everyone has the right to education, health, justice, and freedom of expression and opinion… SMS 1 - WHY IN 1948? WHAT IS THE CONTEXT? In 1948, the Second World War had been over for three years. The Nuremberg Trials found the Nazis guilty of crimes against humanity. The UN was created to replace the League of Nations and ensure the maintenance of peace and security throughout the world. Countries tried to rebuild, and people tried to start living again. But the trauma was immense. The horror remained etched in their memories, and the hellish atmosphere was still reflected in the eyes of the survivors. Never had human values been so despised. The United Nations wanted to ensure that such atrocities could never happen again. Since January 1947, a commission chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt had been working on drafting a text inspired by the French Declaration of 1789. Its objective: to protect and guarantee the rights of all individuals, everywhere in the world. Among the authors, hailing from eight different countries, Frenchman René Cassin was one of its main architects. He insisted in particular that the text be described as universal—and not international—in order to transcend the interests of individual nations. On December 10, 1948, it was presented to the United Nations and adopted by 48 votes out of 56. SMS 2 - WHO VOTED AGAINST? No country opposed the declaration, but eight abstained: South Africa, which had established its apartheid regime a few months earlier; Saudi Arabia, which disagreed with the principle of gender equality; and the countries of the USSR, which rejected the universalism championed by Western democracies, in contradiction with Marxist ideology. But behind the USSR's rejection lay increasingly heightened tensions in a world that had become bipolar. The brand-new UN, which was supposed to maintain peace, was held in check: two hostile superpowers faced each other in a new kind of conflict: the Cold War. In this new balance of terror, the UN was quickly paralyzed by the USSR's empty chair policy, and it was hoped that this Universal Declaration would prevent nations from once again plunging into violence. SMS 3 - AND WHEN IT IS NOT RESPECTED, WHAT HAPPENS? While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has immense symbolic significance, it has no legal value. It is thus defined as "an ideal to be achieved by all peoples and all nations." The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was subsequently supplemented and strengthened by the signing of numerous conventions. To ensure its implementation, most countries enshrined it in their national laws. But some governments continued to adopt laws that contradicted the principles defended by this declaration. Millions of people still experience discrimination every day, and their fundamental freedoms continue to be violated. ######################################### More content at: https://www.lumni.fr Find Lumni on: Facebook ▶   / lumnifr   Twitter ▶   / lumni.fr   Instagram ▶   / lumnifr