Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): Resources

This page has everything you need to know about the U.N.'s human rights division, from its history to modern peacekeeping missions.

Need a quick refresher on the history of the United Nations? This timeline takes you from its early formation during World War II up to the present.

A copy of the full Universal Declaration of Human Rights with Diary of a Wimpy Kid-looking pictures. Great for the visual learners out there.

Part of a series of PBS biographies, this documentary takes a close look at the life of the former first lady, from her accomplishments to her critics.

Want another opinion? Documentary filmmakers take a critical look at the U.N.'s efforts to promote human rights, focusing on places where the organization has failed. It's not hard to find them, unfortunately.

In 2008, on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The Guardian published an extensive series of articles commemorating the document and analyzing its continuing relevance.

Check out what the newspaperhad to say back in 1948, on the day the UDHR was adopted.

Mrs. Roosevelt addressed the U.N.'s General Assembly on the day that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted.

Everyone loves a good TED Talk, amirite? This one goes way out there, with predictions about the future of human rights in 50 years.

Audiobook versions of the UDHR in 21 languages. A great way to practice for your Spanish class.

Eleanor Roosevelt reads an excerpt from the UDHR.

An audio documentary from 1959 tracing the creation of the declaration.

Check out one of the original drafts of the declaration by Canadian humanitarian John Humphrey. Complete with scribbles, annotations, and cross-outs—because people born in 1905 didn't have Microsoft Word.

A famous image of Eleanor Roosevelt, chair of the drafting committee, with the final result of three years' work: a shiny copy of the full UDHR.

The UDHR is one of the most widely read texts in the history of the world, published in more than 300 languages. In this picture from 1950, schoolchildren from the United Nations International Nursery School are checking out a copy. They must have been pretty precocious readers.