UDHR and Animal Farm

Is Universal declaration of Human Rights really universal? Or is it just like George Orwell’s one of the seven commandments in the Animal Farm on how some animals are more equal than the others?

Last month while attending one of the panel discussions with the delegates and guest speakers under the track of Humanitarian Affairs (HPAIRxSYD), I came across a question that changed my perspective of seeing things. The question which triggered me was if UDHR really is universal. UDHR or Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the human rights declaration published in 1948 and is a soft law accepted(but might not be applied) by every countries of the world, except for North Korea (for obvious reasons). This question was brought in the panel discussion and I remember specifically how one of the acclaimed speaker said that like how time changes, the human rights change too. He also gave example how computer and technology is a fundamental universal human right at present. But is it really?

The UDHR are universally applicable to every human being regardless of their race, religion, nationality or geographical division. At present, there is a huge crisis in the Middle Eastern countries. I don’t think their priority to live in a safe space alive would be anywhere near to the need of computers. The universal declaration of human rights states clearly how people are free to mobilize and seek for an asylum in the country where they feel safe. But on the other hand, the countries have their own discretion upon accepting them as refugees or not. Obviously, UDHR is a soft law, so the countries do not get punished upon not following the Declaration. If so, why call it “universal” declaration of human rights? No UDHR is applied there anyway.

In so many countries in the world women and men are not paid equally in their jobs. Right to equality is a human right. It should have been granted as a universally applicable right. But that hasn’t improved. However, the world has eccentrically developed so much that even Robots are getting citizenship, but many native citizens of the country are struggling for the “privilege” of being legal citizen of the country of their nationality or where they were born. This hypocrisy would lead to privileged people getting more opportunities and not privileged people being more downtrodden.

All of these things make me compare these so called universally applicable rights to the commandments in Animal Farm. It is true that UDHR was made to address and resolve the massive human rights violation post World War II. And it was able to accomplish its purpose too. But the reluctance is always there about if it is really “universal” and is really applicable to every human being on the planet. Or is it just for the superpowers who claim human rights when some terrorizing attacks happen in their country but keep provoking other countries to create war and violence in them?