Menschenrechtserklärung

Menschenrechtserklärung is a German term that commonly refers to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, known in German as die Allgemeine Erklärung der Menschenrechte (AEMR). It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948 in Paris, in the aftermath of World War II, as a global statement of the rights to which all human beings are entitled.

The declaration was drafted by the UN Commission on Human Rights, chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, with input from representatives of many countries. It articulates a broad set of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights across 30 articles. Among its core principles are universal equality, protection from torture and arbitrary detention, freedom of thought and religion, freedom of expression, the right to education, work, a standard of living, and participation in government. It asserts that rights are universal, indivisible, and interdependent.

While the declaration itself is not a legally binding treaty, it has had a profound influence on international law and national constitutions. Its principles underlie two major international covenants adopted in 1966, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both of which came into force in 1976. It also inspired regional human rights instruments and national legal reforms. The document remains a foundational reference for human rights advocacy and a standard against which state conduct is measured, though its implementation varies widely across countries and over time. In German usage, the term is often used interchangeably with the official title Allgemeine Erklärung der Menschenrechte.