Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Hello there. My name is Eleanor Roosevelt. I want to tell you about a very important time in my life. After a very big, sad war that touched the whole world, everyone felt that we needed to make sure something so terrible never happened again. So, people from countries all over the globe came together to form a new group called the United Nations. It was like a big club where countries could talk about their problems instead of fighting. I was asked to be a part of this new group, and I was given a very special job. My task was to lead a team to write down a list of promises. These weren't just any promises; they were rights that would belong to every single person in the world, no matter who they were, where they lived, or what they believed. It was a chance to say, 'Everyone deserves to be safe and treated with kindness.'

My team was like a big, wonderful puzzle with pieces from all over the planet. There were people from China, Lebanon, France, Chile, and many other countries. We all spoke different languages and had different ideas about the world. For many months, we sat together in a big room and talked. It was our job to figure out which promises were the most important for everyone. Someone might say, 'I believe everyone has the right to feel safe in their home.' Then another person would add, 'And everyone should have the right to go to school and learn!'. We had to listen very carefully to each other and be very patient. We talked about big ideas, like the right to have your own thoughts and the right to share your ideas with others. It was hard work putting all these different ideas together into one list that everyone could agree on. But we all shared a hopeful feeling. We knew we were creating something that could help children and grown-ups everywhere live better, freer lives. We were building a promise of fairness for the whole world.

Finally, the big day came. It was December 10th, 1948. We were all gathered in a beautiful hall in Paris, France. My heart was beating like a little drum as the countries of the United Nations began to vote on our list of promises. When they voted 'yes,' a feeling of pure joy and hope filled the room. Our hard work had paid off. We called our list the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Now, this Declaration is not a law that can send someone to jail. It’s more like a bright light or a map that shows all countries the best way to treat their people. It is a promise from the world to itself. That promise is for you, too. It’s a promise that you deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. And you can help keep that promise alive by being a friend to everyone, no matter how different they may seem. You can be a human rights champion, right in your own neighborhood.