What countries did not agree to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Asked by: Prof. Reilly Hagenes | Last update: May 27, 2026Score: 4.1/5 (32 votes)
Eight countries abstained from the 1948 UN vote on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): the Soviet Union, Byelorussian SSR, Ukrainian SSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, with communist nations objecting to individual rights vs. state power and Saudi Arabia citing Sharia law, while South Africa protected apartheid.
Which countries have not signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Adoption. The Universal Declaration was adopted by the General Assembly as UN Resolution A/RES/217(III)[A] on 10 December 1948 in the Palais de Chaillot, Paris. Of the 58 United Nations members at the time, 48 voted in favour, none against, eight abstained, and Honduras and Yemen failed to vote or abstain.
Who opposed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
South Africa resisted the UDHR because of its implications for the system of apartheid (see also Racial and Religious Discrimination), or separate development of racial groups, then recently introduced.
Which countries voted against the UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples?
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was adopted by the General Assembly on Thursday, 13 September 2007, by a majority of 143 states in favour, 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and 11 abstentions (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, ...
Which countries abstained from voting for the Universal Declaration of human rights?
The vote was 48 votes in favour, with eight members abstaining: Byelorussia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the Soviet Union, Ukraine, and Yugoslavia. Two Member States, Honduras and Yemen, were absent for the vote (see also International Organizations or Institutions, Voting Rules and...
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
What 48 countries voted in favor of the Declaration?
1 The following 48 countries voted in favor of the Declaration: Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, ...
What is the #1 freest country in the world?
According to the Cato Institute's Human Freedom Index 2025, Switzerland is the #1 freest country in the world, followed by Denmark and New Zealand, based on its strong performance in personal and economic freedoms. Switzerland consistently ranks highest due to its robust parliamentary democracy, high citizen participation, and strong economic conditions, though Singapore leads in purely economic freedom in some indices.
What countries aren't recognized by the UN?
A World Tour of the States not recognized by the UN
- Kosovo.
- South Ossetia & Abkhazia.
- Nagorno-Karabakh.
- Transnistria or the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.
- New Russia or the Union of People's Republics.
- The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
- The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
- Taiwan or the Republic of China.
Has any country ever left the UN?
Yes, only one country, Indonesia, has ever formally attempted to leave the UN in 1965 due to a political dispute with Malaysia, but they quickly reversed the decision the following year and resumed membership without any formal readmission process, as the UN treated it as a suspension of cooperation rather than a true departure. The UN Charter doesn't have a formal exit mechanism, so while a country could try, Indonesia's short-lived attempt remains the sole historical precedent, with the UN effectively ignoring the withdrawal notice and waiting for the government to change its mind.
What countries do not recognize food as a human right?
Only two nations voted against deeming access to food as a human right - the United States of America and Israel. The rest of the world are better Jews and Christians than those nations.
Who weren't granted rights by the Declaration of the rights of Man?
The conquered people of the colonies didn't become citizens. Similarly, enslaved people, working-class people, and women weren't given the same kinds of rights. In other words, personal sovereignty and autonomy were luxuries offered to a very small segment of society.
Which country has the least human rights?
In 2023, Estonia was the best country according to the Human Rights Index, followed by New Zealand, Sweden, and Denmark. On the contrary, North Korea, Afghanistan, and Eritrea were the worst countries for human rights protection.
Which country has withdrawn from the United Nations Human Rights Council?
On February 6, 2025, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced Israel's withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), citing long standing institutional bias against the country.
What human rights treaties has the US not signed?
Among the treaties are the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), the Ottawa Treaty (Mine Ban Treaty), the Convention on ...
What countries does the US not recognize?
The United States of America has formal diplomatic relations with most nations. This includes all United Nations members and observer states other than Bhutan, Iran and North Korea, and the UN observers of Palestine and the Holy See.
Is North Korea a member of the UN?
It was only in 1991 that both the ROK and the DPRK were simultaneously admitted to the UN as the influence of the Cold War on international politics receded.
What is the biggest unrecognised country?
The largest entity often considered the biggest "unrecognized country" by population and territory is Somaliland, a self-declared state in the Horn of Africa that functions independently from Somalia and has significant de facto control, though it recently gained partial recognition from Israel, potentially shifting its status. Other major contenders include the Kurds (Kurdistan), a stateless nation of tens of millions spread across several countries (Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria) with self-governing areas.
Which US state is the freest?
For the 24th time, New Hampshire is the freest state among all U.S. states, having scored 8.34 out of 10 in this year's report, which measures government spending, taxation, regulations and labor market restrictions using data from 2023, the most recent year of available comparable data.
What is the least freest country?
According to the Freedom House Freedom Index from 2024, Turkmenistan and South Sudan were the two least free countries in the world that year. The index measures the level of political rights and civil liberties in a country.
What is the most humane country in the world?
Ranked number one since 2008, Iceland remains the world's most peaceful nation, leading across all three domains: safety and security, ongoing conflict and militarisation.
Which country did not vote for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
None of the nations officially voted against the UDHR. The eight that abstained were Czechoslovakia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, the Soviet Union, Byelorussia SSR, Ukraine SSR, and South Africa, Yugoslavia. Honduras and Yemen did not submit a vote or abstain from voting.
Who drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
In February 1947, in accordance with a decision from the first session of the Commission on Human Rights (E/259), a group consisting of Eleanor Roosevelt, Pen-Chun Chang and Charles Malik, began drafting the International Bill of Human Rights.
Which countries voted against the Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples?
In a historic vote on September 13, 2007, 144 countries voted for the Declaration, 11 abstained, and only four (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States) voted against it. Since 2007, all four countries, including the United States, have reversed their positions and now officially endorse the Declaration.