“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence. The phrase gives three examples of the unalienable rights which the Declaration says have been given to all humans by their creator, and which governments are created to protect.

Jefferson begins the Declaration by discussing natural rights. Jefferson places the origin of natural rights in the “Laws of Nature of Nature’s God,” as well as being self-evident. Natural rights spring from very nature of man. These right are “unalienable,” meaning that they can be neither taken nor given away.

Question: Where do they come from? They come from the fact that we are not only physical beings, but also moral and spiritual human beings. Human rights are needed to protect and preserve every individual’s humanity, to ensure that every individual can live a life of dignity and a life that is worthy of a human being.

Human rights are basic rights that belong to all of us simply because we are human. They embody key values in our society such as fairness, dignity, equality and respect. Most importantly, these rights give us power and enable us to speak up and to challenge poor treatment from a public authority.

Human rights also guarantee people the means necessary to satisfy their basic needs, such as food, housing, and education, so they can take full advantage of all opportunities. Finally, by guaranteeing life, liberty, equality, and security, human rights protect people against abuse by those who are more powerful.

The right to life is enshrined in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides a vision of the world in which everyone — regardless of who they are and where they live — has equal opportunity to grow and develop in freedom and equality and to the fullness of their potential.

The idea was for all the countries in the world to recognize the freedom of all humans, promote peace and progress, and prevent future crimes against humanity. At the time it was presented, the UDHR was not an actual international law, but rather an expression of shared values that everyone agreed to pursue.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a document that acts like a global road map for freedom and equality – protecting the rights of every individual, everywhere. Its adoption recognised human rights to be the foundation for freedom, justice and peace.

Nearly every state in the world has accepted the Declaration. It has inspired more than 80 international conventions and treaties, as well as numerous regional conventions and domestic laws. It has been the catalyst for improving human rights protections for groups such as disabled people, indigenous peoples and women.