The United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Regarding five Ws for the United Nations and its foundation, it is an international organization (what), which unites different nations to solve global problems. The organization was founded in 1945 (when); the foundations of its activities and structure were developed during the Second World War by the leading members of the anti-Hitler coalition (who). The UN Charter was approved at the San Francisco Conference (where) with the aim of strengthening global peace and safety (why).

We found it interesting that by trying to maintain peace, the UN can participate in incident investigation and negotiation with conflicting parties in order to reconcile them. The fact that the UN members have a right to solve international conflicts is surprising as such a situation was impossible during the Qin dynasty in China. Concerning decolonization, as a result of the UN’s activities, more than 80 countries that are former colonies got independence. The UN counters colonialism effectively – its members help developing countries to establish appropriate forms of self-government.

Regarding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I think that the most significant articles are the first, the second, and the twenty-ninth. According to the first article, “all human beings are born free and equal” (UN General Assembly Article 1). This principle is fundamental, and all the rest of the articles are built on its basis. The second one eradicates any distinction race, color, sex, etc. (UN General Assembly Article 2). It is of high importance nowadays and reflects the values of tolerance. The twenty-ninth article is crucial as it reminds us to remember restrictions and our responsibilities.

I found out about the Chinese Empire during the Qin dynasty that there was no religious freedom and slavery existed. The UN works to eradicate slavery with its peacekeeping missions in developing countries where it is still exciting. Moreover, as the UN claims that everyone has the right to freedom of thought and religion, it spreads these ideas in areas where people have not understood the need for this yet.

The UN works for better international cooperation than Empires did as it helps to maintain fair interaction among countries. For example, the Chinese Empire during the Qin dynasty ruled some areas, such as Qi, Chu, Yan, since it was the strongest state, while the UN does not suppress less developed states but helps them. Thus, it helps to maintain peace for the benefit of all mankind.

Reference

UN General Assembly. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations, 217 (III) A, 1948, Paris, art. 1. Web.