The founding document of international human rights law is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was unanimously ratified by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. It establishes the fundamental vision and principles of the international human rights regime and guarantees civil, political, economic and social rights. In subsequent years, additional human rights treaties were drafted recognizing different categories of rights and various vulnerable populations.
This primer provides a description of the Covenant and some suggestions of its potential to promote gender equality, particularly in an era of globalization.