Adopted by the UN General Assembly in Paris in 1948 in the aftermath of the Second World War, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights set out in thirty articles a common standard of inalienable rights for all people. Drafted by a committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, it spanned civil and political rights such as life, liberty and a fair trial alongside economic, social and cultural rights such as work, education and an adequate standard of living. It was passed without any dissenting vote, though several states abstained. Though not a binding treaty in itself, it became the reference point for later human-rights law.
It established the modern global framework of human rights that informs international law and national constitutions, and grounds later claims such as the right to adequate housing and the 'right to the city'.
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