Article 2 - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (English version)

This piece is part of a collection of 30 xylographs, produced by the multimedia artist Otávio Roth (1952-1993), that graphically express the content of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The series took two years to reach completion, with each piece printed on handmade paper created by the artist himself. Driven by the desire to democratize access to the Charter, Otávio Roth synthesized its message in graphic pieces that facilitate the understanding and memorization of the Charter’s content.

Roth was the first living artist invited to exhibit at the United Nations. His prints have been on permanent display at UN headquarters in New York, Geneva and Vienna since 1981. In addition to the English series, the artist produced other series in Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian and Danish, using techniques as diverse as crayon, watercolor and pulp painting.

About Article 2
Article 2 states that everyone is entitled to all the freedoms listed in the UDHR, “without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or any other condition”. The last words of this sentence – “any other condition” - have often been cited to expand the list of specifically protected persons. This language is reflected in regional instruments such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The UN has elaborated rights in several treaties which are predicated on Article 2 - including most recently the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006).