International Instruments

The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights:
- The most universal document in the world

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has been awarded the Guinness World Record for having collected, translated and disseminated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into more than 300 languages and dialects: from Abkhaz to Zulu.
The Universal Declaration is thus the document most translated - indeed, the most "universal" - in the world.
In the words of the (former) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson:

"This project bears a special symbolism. It immediately brings to us a sense of the world's diversity; it is a rich tapestry with so many different languages and peoples. But, at the same time, it shows that all of us, in our different forms of expression, can speak the "common language of humanity", the language of human rights, which is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

For further information about the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, click here >

To read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, click here >

CEDAW - Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. The Convention defines discrimination against women as "...any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field."

The Convention, which entered into force on 3 September 1981, has, as of March 2004, 176 States parties.

To read the full version of Convention, click here >

To read the table of content, click here >

For further information about the Convention and the text in other languages, click here >

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 reaffirms

“the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building…” and stresses “the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security…”. Resolution 1325 urges UN Member States, among other measures, to “increase their voluntary financial, technical, and logistical support for gender-sensitive training efforts” (paragraph 7).

To read the complete version of Resolution 1325 in English, click here >

Faith-Based Peace-Building Mapping and Analysis of Christian, Muslim and Multi-Faith Actors

Religion has become an important topic on today’s policy agenda. Policy-makers are no longer able to get around religion’s role in conflict and peace, and in particular in conflict prevention and peace-building. Although religion is often blamed for inciting conflict, it can also help to resolve conflicts and decrease tensions. This study focuses on the possible positive role(s) of religion – that is, of faith-based organizations – in peace building.

This paragraph is extracted from a study conducted by the Netherlands Institute of International Relations“Clingendael’ in cooperation with Salem Institute for Peace and Justice, Washington DC.

To read the full report, please click here >