Making women human: uncovering the contribution of women to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

This book offers both a historical and critical account of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the work leading up to this at the creation of the United Nations (UN). The book sets out its position in the literature as a counter narrative to earlier research, which it notes has ‘generally emphasised the contribution of the Western and male delegates who participated in the process’ (p. 1). It therefore offers a fresh account of the birth of the modern international human rights regime, focussing on the substantial contributions of the women delegates who contributed to the final text of the United Nations Charter and the UDHR. It charts the strategies and ideologies of the various women who were successful in ensuring the declaration reflected the language of ‘human rights rather than the rights of man’ (p. 2). In doing so, this book adds further understanding and insight into the birth of the United Nations’ human rights mechanisms.