Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): Community

    Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): Community

      Pump the brakes on your individuality because the declaration also makes numerous references to community.

      Everyone is their own person with their own rights, but we do have to live with each other (unless you're going full Yoda and living in a swamp hut). Ever heard of "no man is an island"?

      The declaration balances its emphasis on the rights of the individual with allusions to the importance of the collective. Article 29 says that "everyone has duties to the community" (29.1). The document doesn't really get into what those duties are, but the overall message is that, to fully enjoy your human rights, you have to respect other people. The same article states the common idea that your rights end where other people's rights begin.

      The articles on economic rights are also important in establishing the role of the community. The declaration requires that states provide people with social security and guarantee them a certain standard of living. The text also says that everyone has the right to join unions or labor organizations.

      The Soviet Union pushed hard for the inclusion of these rights in the declaration. Under Soviet-style communism, the government was responsible for administering all aspects of the national economy. The collective was considered the fundamental unit of society in need of protection, not the individual. They never signed on to the UDHR.