While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is not legally binding in itself, it exists in order to define, and to act as a guide to interpretation of, the rights contained in the United Nations Charter, which is binding on all member states.
The strength and virtue of the UDHR represents the commitment of the world’s nations to uphold the dignity of all persons and provide recourse to justice for those aggrieved. It is a pledge to progress towards peace, security of person and better standards of life. It is the over-arching standard of rights to which every nation should aspire and seek to adhere and its obligations are arguably part of customary international law.
DISCUSSION PAPER: THE LEGAL OBLIGATION TO RECORD CIVILIAN CASUALTIES OF ARMED CONFLICT, p. 14
