Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Is April 5 Still the UN’s International Day of Conscience?  

April 5th is the UN’s International Day of Conscience, but does the world still care about freedom of conscience?

Justice for War Crimes | Jus Post Bellum Series, Part 4
Justice for War Crimes | Jus Post Bellum Series, Part 4

When we bandy about “war crimes,” “assassination,” and other terms, we ought to consider what we are talking about and, if appropriate, what the available mechanisms for justice are.

The West’s Response to Genocide - Russia - Ukraine - Putin
The West’s Response to Genocide

Mass moral atrocities and genocidal tendencies have not lessened with the supposed end of the Cold War. If anything, they have increased.

Freedom in America: Long Taken for Granted, Now in Need of Defending
Freedom in America: Long Taken for Granted, Now in Need of Defending

Someone like me who once lived in a totalitarian society finds it surprising and troubling that so many American churches have defined their mission as “to work for peace and justice in our world” but have neglected the defense of freedom as an essential part of their public ministry.

Counter China’s Devious Human Rights Propaganda - South-South Human Rights Forum
Counter China’s Devious Human Rights Propaganda

Liberal democracies have done virtually nothing to counter China’s human rights propaganda, by which the Chinese Communist Party ruthlessly appropriates the concept of human rights to promote its version of Marxist ideology and glamorize its hegemonic global ambitions.

Hope for Human Rights despite China’s Threats
Hope for Human Rights despite China’s Threats

Here is the bad news for Beijing, and the good news for the West. Despite genuine concerns over how an increasingly multipolar world will erode the human rights consensus, the agenda still remains a major obstacle to ideological competitors—both at home and abroad.

Iran as an Inspiration for the Taliban: From Governance to Human Rights
Iran as an Inspiration for the Taliban: From Governance to Human Rights

Among the voluminous commentary on the Taliban’s return to power, only a few observed its apparent desire to emulate the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Looking Back at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Looking Back at the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (UDHR) impact across the globe was beyond what Eleanor Roosevelt and its drafters could have imagined. As we look forward, the human rights agenda is in great need of reform and renewal. Perhaps a return to the spirit of 1948 and the wisdom of its original drafters can provide wisdom for the future.

Harry, Eleanor, and the Dawn of Universal Human Rights
Harry, Eleanor, and the Dawn of Universal Human Rights

In 1946 when the prospects for what would become the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) appeared dim, President Harry Truman appointed Eleanor Roosevelt to a UN committee where she could promote universal human rights.