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The human rights of today were originally adopted from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948, which defined 30 of the most basic human rights.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) were subsequently adopted and enacted as an extension of the UDHR.
The 30 Basic Human Rights of the UDHR can theoretically be categorized into five categories, as a way to fluidly change with the times.

The 30 Basic Human Rights of the UDHR and the five categories will be introduced in this article.

The 30 Basic Human Rights of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On December 10, 1948, 30 Basic Human Rights were proclaimed and defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), it is stated that all Member States of the United Nations shall protect and promote human rights.

The 30 Basic Human Rights declared in the UDHR are listed below:

• Article 1：All Humans are Born Free and Equal
• Article 2：No Discrimination
• Article 3：The Right to Life
• Article 4：No Slavery
• Article 5：No Torture
• Article 6：Everyone has Rights, Everywhere
• Article 7：All are Equal Before the Law
• Article 8：Human Rights are Protected by Law
• Article 9：No Arbitrary Detainment
• Article 10：The Right to Trial
• Article 11：Innocent Until Proven Guilty
• Article 12：The Right to Privacy
• Article 13：Freedom of Movement
• Article 14：The Right to Seek Asylum
• Article 15：The Right to a Nationality
• Article 16：The Right to Marriage and Family
• Article 17：The Right to Own Property
• Article 18：Freedom of Thought and Religion
• Article 19：Freedom of Opinion and Expression
• Article 20：The Right to Peaceful Assembly
• Article 21：The Right to Democracy
• Article 22：The Right to Social Security
• Article 23：The Right to Work
• Article 24：The Right to Rest
• Article 25：The Right of Social Service
• Article 26：The Right to Education
• Article 27：The Right to Cultural, Artistic, and Scientific Expression
• Article 28：Freedom around the World
• Article 29：Subject to Law
• Article 30：Human Rights Cannot be Taken Away

Reference: “Universal Declaration of Human Rights｜United Nations”

All 30 of these fundamental human rights must be recognized and observed by all.

Human rights are protected by law and all people have the right to promote and observe their human rights.

Human Rights

The following treaties were additionally adopted by the UN in 1966, and enacted in 1976.

• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

These treaties are supplemental to the Basic Human Rights. They stand to give every human equal and fair opportunities to have and share opinions about politics, economics, society, and culture.

These treaties together with the Basic Human Rights are considered the written texts that created the international standard of basic human rights today.

5 Categories of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) that was adopted in 1948 became the foundation to all present-day human rights.

In order to change with the times, human rights are now categorized into the following five groups:

• Economic Rights
• Social Rights
• Cultural Rights
• Civil Rights
• Political Rights

The UDHR and other documents lay out five kinds of human rights: economic, social, cultural, civil, and political.

Reference: “What Kinds of Human Rights Exist?｜HUMAN RIGHTS CAREERS”

Theoretical Categorization

To understand the theory behind human rights, we must first look into where the concept of contemporary human rights came from.

Our rights are universal and indestructible, and simply our ‘natural rights.’

Our natural rights are independent of government and culture; It is something we are born with.

Positive Rights and Negative Rights

There are positive human rights and negative human rights.

Positive rights, such as the right to accessible food, housing, education, and health care, are rights that give people access to positive things.

Negative rights, such as no slavery, no torture, and no oppression, are rights that allow people to be free of negative things.

It is the country and state’s duty to uphold these rights.

Vasak’s “Three Generations”

In 1977, Karel Vasak published an essay outlining human rights in international law.
Vasak’s essay characterized human rights in “three generations.” These “three generations” are explained as such:

1. 1. Civil and political rights, specifically those in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
2. 2. Economic, social, and cultural rights, such as rights to housing
3. 3. “Solidarity Rights” and “Group Rights”

Vasak categorized the first and second generations as negative rights, and the third generation as positive rights.

Negative rights, such as no slavery, are to free and protect us from things that have happened in the past, while positive rights, like health care and housing, give people the right to access necessities.

Vasak’s idea of “3 generations” pull influence from the ideologies of the French Revolution: “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”

However, the idea that power and authority can be measured would contradict the idea behind the Basic Human Rights that “our rights cannot be taken away.”

Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) enacted in 1976 protects economic, social, and cultural rights.

All human rights must be protected and promoted.

Economic, social, and cultural rights must be promoted all the same.

Examples include the right to work in a safe environment, and the right to accessible education.

The above human rights are in place to ensure that everyone has the equal right to benefit from.

Economic, social, and cultural rights include the right to work, the right to food and water, the right to housing, and the right to education. Documents like the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which was established in 1976, protect these rights. Conventions like the Convention on the Rights of the Child safeguard the economic, social, and cultural rights of specific groups. As with all types of human rights, the state’s responsibility is to protect, promote, and implement economic, social, and cultural rights. Specific examples in this category include:

• The right to work in a safe environment for a fair wage
• The right to access medical care, including mental health care
• The right to accessible education
• The right to adequate food, clothing, and housing
• The right to affordable sanitation and clean water
• The right to take part in cultural life
• The right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress
• The right to social security

Reference: “What Kinds of Human Rights Exist?｜HUMAN RIGHTS CAREERS”

Civil and Political Rights

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) enacted in 1976 protects civil and political rights.

We must be able to speak our minds about civil and political matters, without fear about oppression and discrimination.

Civil and political rights free and protect us from the oppression of torture and slavery, giving everyone the right to freedom of speech.

Civil and political rights include articles from the first part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They state that people must be allowed to participate freely in civil and political life without facing repression or discrimination.

While economic, social, and cultural rights are framed as rights a person is entitled to, most civil and political rights are about protection from certain things, like torture and slavery.

Documents like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols outline rights such as:

• The right to life, which is violated by actions like death by torture, neglect, and use of force
• The right to freedom of expression, which is violated by restricting access to ideas and limiting press freedom
• The right to privacy, which is violated by intruding on a person’s sexual life or personal data
• The right to asylum, which is violated by deporting someone to a country where their lives are at risk
• The right to a fair trial and due process, which is violated by a court that’s not impartial and excessive delays
• The right to freedom of religion, which is violated when someone is punished for following their beliefs or forced to adopt another religion
• The right to freedom from discrimination, which is violated when traits like race, gender, religion, etc are used as justification for actions like being fired from a job.

Reference: “What Kinds of Human Rights Exist?｜HUMAN RIGHTS CAREERS”

All Human Rights Must Be Protected

All human beings are entitled to human rights.

In 1948, 30 Basic Human Rights were proclaimed and defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

However, due to the changing of the times, the way we categorize human rights is changing.

Human rights are now categorized into five groups: economic, social, cultural, civil, and political human rights.

These human rights must be protected and promoted by all countries and governments for all human beings to lead safe, happy lives.