What are the major international human rights instruments?

The major international human rights instruments include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenants, and Conventions.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is the cornerstone of international human rights law. Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, it sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. The UDHR is not a treaty, so it does not directly create legal obligations for countries. However, parts of it are considered to be part of customary international law and many of its provisions have been incorporated into national constitutions.

The International Covenants are two legally binding treaties that were adopted by the United Nations in 1966 to give legal force to the rights outlined in the UDHR. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) together with the UDHR form the International Bill of Human Rights. The ICCPR focuses on issues such as the right to life, freedom of speech, religion, and voting. The ICESCR focuses on social, cultural, and economic rights, such as the right to work, the right to health, and the right to education.

The Conventions are specific international treaties that address particular areas of human rights or specific groups of people. These include the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). These conventions are legally binding for the states that have ratified them, meaning they have agreed to be legally bound by their provisions.

In addition to these, there are also regional human rights instruments such as the European Convention on Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. These regional instruments provide an additional layer of protection and allow individuals to bring complaints about human rights violations to regional human rights courts or commissions.