UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

an official declaration made in 1948 by the United Nations (an international organization founded in 1945 by fifty-one countries, to promote peace, security and cooperation) following the disregard of human rights resulting in the horrors of World War II (1939-1945). It sets forth the basic civil, economic, political and social rights and freedoms of every person, such as the right to a fair trial, the right to own property, the right to equal pay for equal work. It states all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Its introduction states the declaration is meant to serve as "a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations." Since its adoption it has been widely used, even by national courts, as a guide for making judgments regarding compliance with human rights.