The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

December 1999

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: the most universal document

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has been awarded the Guinness World Record for having collected, translated and disseminated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into more than 300 languages and dialects: from Abkhaz to Zulu. The Universal Declaration is thus the document most translated indeed, the most "universal" in the world. In the words of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson: "This project bears a special symbolism. It immediately brings to us a sense of the world's diversity; it is a rich tapestry with so many different languages and peoples. But, at the same time, it shows that all of us, in our different forms of expression, can speak the "common language of humanity", the language of human rights, which is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

This project, developed in the framework of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), provides an example of what global partnership for human rights is about. It was made possible thanks to the cooperative efforts by many partners within and outside the United Nations system: OHCHR and its field presences; the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) and many of its Information Centres and Services (UNICs and UNISs) around the world; the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); United Nations Development Programme and its field presences (UNDP); UNESCO with some of its National Commissions and Regional Offices; various Governments and their Permanent Missions to the United Nations; selected universities and linguistic institutes; numerous international, regional and local non governmental organizations; and the Government of the Republic of San Marino, who generously sponsored the final phase of this project. Most of the linguistic versions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are now available online through the Office's website (http://www.unhchr.ch).

Elena Ippoliti
OHCHR
United Nations
Palais des Nations
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland

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