A/73/227 rights, even as cultural rights themselves must take into consideration respect for other universal human rights norms. A. Relevant international human rights standards on universality and cultural diversity 15. Universality is the cornerstone of human rights law, which likewise enshrines this principle. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights ”. Article 2 adds specificity, making clear that neither cultural category nor political status can justify exemption from rights protection. 16. In this seventieth anniversary year and beyond, we have an obligation to remind ourselves of the contributions made by women and men from around the world to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to promote and share the truly global history of this foundational document. Those who tell exclusivist tales about it are spreading dangerous myths and should study the facts, including th ose contained in the annex to the present report. 17. Today the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is understood by many to be a statement of customary international law 6 and also an authoritative statement of obligations under the human rights provisions of the Charter of the United Nations. Its provisions have been affirmed and adopted in constitutions of countries in all regions and in legally binding treaties. 18. The Charter of the United Nations has specifically endorsed the framework of universal rights in treaty form. In Article 55, the United Nations is mandated to promote “universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction”, and in Article 56, States pledge to take action to that end. 19. States have reiterated their commitment to universality in, inter alia, standards such as the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of 1993, in which they reaffirmed “the solemn commitment of all States to fulfil their obligations to promote universal respect for, and observance and protection of, all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, other instruments relating to human rights, and international law. The universal nature of these rights and freedoms is beyond question” (para. 1). This document reiterates that “all human rights are universal, indivisible, and interdependent and interrelated … While the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne it mind, it is the duty of States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights” (para. 5). 7 Selective citation of this last provision, omitting the second clause regarding State duties, misrepresents the relationship between cultural rights and the universal rights framework. 20. Women’s human rights experts have reminded us that this Declaration’s reconfirmation that human rights are universal was one of its mo st important achievements. Since women’s human rights are often prime sites of threat to universality, the affirmation that women’s rights are human rights, and hence included within the ambit of universality, was also momentous. “the defense of the universality of rights for women is also crucial to any defense of the universality of human rights; if the violation of the rights of half of humanity can be conditional in the name of __________________ 6 7 18-12312 See, among others, John P. Humphrey, Human Rights and the United Nations: A Great Adventure (Dobbs Ferry, New York, Transnational Publishers, 1984), p. 75. See A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III (Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action). 7/26