Respect for fundamental human rights is necessary if nations are to serve human dignity and the common good, including civil, political, social, and economic rights.
U.S. Catholic Bishops, The Harvest of Justice Is Sown in Peace, 1993
What Are Human Rights?
Human rights are those rights that everyone everywhere has by virtue of being human.
Human rights are inherent, inalienable, universal, indivisible and interdependent: 
Universal - they apply to everyone, everywhere regardless of ethnicity, gender, or religion.
Inalienable - people cannot give them up or be deprived of them.
Interdependent - they are related to each other.
Inherent - they belong to everyone.
Indivisible - no right is superior to another.
Photo: Mother and child in Iraq
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
In 1948 the United Nations adopted The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration was motivated by the atrocities of World War II, in which certain peoples were denied the right to even exist, and the desire to formally recognise that all people have the same rights.
In the words of the Declaration: “Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”
Catholic Social Teaching and Human Rights
Catholic social teaching considers human rights indispensable to the dignity of the human person, and that human dignity is the basis of any right.
Respect for Human Rights: The Secret of True Peace
John Paul II’s message for the World Day of Peace 1999 looks at the connection between respect for human rights and peace.
Human Rights and the Catholic Church
An article by the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council for the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, outlining the development of the Church’s thinking about human rights.
Useful links
Human Rights Network Aotearoa New Zealand is a meeting place for New Zealanders with an interest and commitment to human rights.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights