Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on December 10, 1948, as General Assembly Resolution 217A, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is the cornerstone of an International Bill of Human Rights, considered together with two International Covenants on Human Rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966. This International Bill of Human Rights is the birthright of all human beings with respect to civil, political, cultural, economic, and social rights. This entry provides an overview of the history of human rights law, the drafting history of the UDHR and its ratification, its provisions, successor treaties and documents, and contemporary ...