Introduction to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The debate on the existence of universal human rights is always alive and involves not only the international law regime but also the enforcement of national laws as well as the relationship between cultural diversity and protection of human rights. It is a fact that not all the principles on human rights included in the major conventions and international acts on human rights come under the same regime, and so the idea of a distinction between conditional human rights rules and absolute human rights rules is not alien to the international mechanism on human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is therefore "potentially" universal, and for this reason its affirmation depends on the degree of acceptance of its principles. This acceptance has so far been much wider than one could imagine. Although it originally represented the point of view mainly of Western countries, the Universal Declaration has been successful as it immediately sought to give precise content to the commitments solemnly made by States with the approval of the United Nations Charter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]