a. Teheran World Conference on Human Rights – 1968
The International Conference on Human Rights held in Teheran from April 22 to May 13 1968 was the first world
meeting on human rights to review the progress made in the twenty years that had elapsed since the adoption of the
UDHR. Significantly, the Conference reaffirmed world commitment to the rights and fundamental freedoms enshrined in
the UDHR and urged mem- bers of the international community to “fulfil their solemn obligations to pro- mote and
encourage respect” for those rights.
The Conference adopted the Proclamation of Teheran which, inter alia, encouraged respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all with- out distinctions of any kind; reaffirmed that the UDHR is a common stan- dard of
achievement for all people and that it constitutes an obligation for the members of the international community;
invited States to conform to new standards and obligations set up in international instruments; condemned apartheid
and racial discrimination; invited States to take measures to imple- ment the Declaration on the Granting of
Independence to Colonial Coun- tries; invited the international community to co-operate in eradicating massive
denials of human rights; invited States to make an effort to bridge the gap between the economically developed and
developing countries; recognized the indivisibility of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights;
invited States to increase efforts to eradicate illiteracy, to eliminate discrimination against women, and to
protect and guarantee children’s rights.
By reaffirming the principles set out in the International Bill of Human Rights, the Proclamation of Teheran paved
the way for the creation of a number of international human rights instruments.
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