This Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human rights (UDHR), the first global articulation of any form of inherent and universal human rights. Although it remains the world's most widely translated document of its kind and stands as a symbol of the highest goals society can achieve, its anniversary is as much a reminder of how little our country and the world as a whole have managed to progress as it is a celebration of the beauty of ideals.
In the wake of the atrocities of World War II, the United Nations set out to create an International Bill of Rights that would explicitly define the "human rights" mentioned in the U.N. Charter. Today, however, this momentous document's 30 articles seem like empty promises. The human rights violations over the decades that have passed since its ratification have painfully illustrated the cavernous gap between the declaration's words and the actions of the world community. The United Nations still does not hold much sway over the decisions of individual countries and does not have the manpower or the authority to enforce its well-intentioned declarations. As the United Nations does not have very much in the way of enforcement power, compliance with any of its mandates is little more than optional. The onus is on its member countries to lead by example and ensure that its recommendations are followed both at home and abroad -- and the United States has not been the best of role models of late.
The 1994 genocide of almost one million people in Rwanda was met with virtual silence in the United Nations and the world community as the feeble U.N. peacekeeping forces tried in vain to hold off the storm of Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi militants bent on mass murder. The United States itself has quietly allowed the torture of Iraqi prisoners of war. The world watched as hundreds of thousands of Northern Ugandans lost their homes and were forced to relocate to displacement camps virtually devoid of sanitation as a result of the conflict between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army. Even in instances when the United Nations does declare emergency situations, it cannot mandate involvement or put a stop to global atrocities; it can only wag its massive finger of disapproval and plead with its member nations to intervene. But again, that is only when it acknowledges the situation. While the United States has termed the conflict in Darfur as a "genocide," the United Nations still stops short of this qualification, as it would be an implicit mandate for intervention.
All of these are incidents that clearly infringe upon the "right to life, liberty and security of person" and the right to be free from "torture or ... cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," just to name a few. So while this 60th anniversary is certainly an opportunity to celebrate the worthy ideals of the UDHR, it should also be a clear reminder that our deeds must align with our promises, or the aspirations of the momentous document will forever remain nothing more than words. And words can only do so much.
