The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights 1948: Successes and Challenges

Abstract

This article looks into the successes and challenges of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (the Declaration) 1948. Too often the approach of its failures has been explored over the years, but the author believes it is a herculean task to maintain and promote world peace and universal human welfare, so those steps taken in obedience and application of the Declaration need to be unravelled and appreciated. The unity and coexistence among states, the creation of subsidiary organs, the installation of good governance in many countries, the internationalisation of constitutions and uniform judicial decisions in national and regional courts are all recorded as successes of the Declaration in this article. The challenges of the Declaration are also explored in this work, such as the modern forms of slavery still practised in many parts of the world, the controversy of international criminal justice, violence against women and the claim to extreme rights. The author analyses these challenges and gives recommendations for a better future in the application of the Declaration.