Preamble The States Parties to this Convention, Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Recognizing that those rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person, Considering the obligation of States under the Charter, in particular Article 55, to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms, Having regard to article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which provide that no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Having regard also to the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, adopted by the General Assembly on 9 December 1975, Desiring to make more effective the struggle against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment throughout the world, Have agreed as follows: 1. Introduction 2. Travaux Préparatoires 2.1 Chronology of Draft Texts 2.2 Analysis of Working Group Discussions 3. Issues of Interpretation 15 16 16 17 19 1.  Introduction Under Article 31 of the VCLT, the provisions of international treaties are not to be interpreted in isolation but rather in their context. The treaty’s text including the preamble and annexes, together with relevant agreements between the States parties, may be drawn upon. This legal significance of the preamble has been generally recognized under international law.1 Like most other international human rights treaties, the Convention against Torture contains an extensive preamble. It places the obligations of States parties contained in the Convention in the context of the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, and it emphasizes the natural-​law origins of human rights. The text is based on 1   cf ILC Yearbook, Vol 2 (1964) 57, 203.