Chapter 5 The International Framework to Promote and Protect Human Rights: An Overview The United Nations and the birth of the universal human rights system Human rights, as they are now commonly understood, emerged from the creation of the United Nations. In the aftermath of World War II, governments committed themselves to establishing the UN with the primary goal of promoting international peace and preventing conflict. Human rights were held to be key to achieving those aims. The preamble to the Charter of the United Nations asserts that the main objectives of the organization are, among other things, to: save succeeding generations from the scourge of war […and] reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small [...]73 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Almost immediately, the UN established a Commission on Human Rights, which was charged with the task of submitting proposals on an International Bill of Rights. The Draft declaration was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948 and came to be known as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This instrument has had a profound impact on the development of regional and global standards for the protection of general or specific human rights. The UDHR established a universal language of human rights. Their source is the international community and they originate from the UN as an expression of global values.74 It is now the duty of states, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is built on the fundamental principle that human rights are based on the “inherent dignity of all members of the human family” and are 73 Article 1(3) of the Charter states that one of the purposes of the UN is to achieve international co-operation in “promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion”. What the UN Charter does not do is to specify the contents of any “human rights”, nor does it establish any mechanisms for the protection of human rights in the members of the United Nations. 74 These values have been repeatedly reaffirmed, e.g., at the 1993 Vienna UN World Conference on Human Rights (14-25 June 1993), which pledged “universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all […] the universal nature of these freedoms is beyond question […]” and also that “while the significance of national and regional peculiarities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is the duty of States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms”, see Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, as adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993, doc. A/CONF.157/23, 12 July 1993. Countering Terrorism, Protecting Human Rights 43