Article 25 - 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 25
Article 25 covers a wide range of rights, including access to adequate food, water, sanitation, clothing, housing and medical care, as well as social protection in uncontrollable situations, such as disability, widowhood, unemployment and old age. Mothers and children are entitled to special care. This article is an effort to ensure that needs are met, based on President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous vision of four freedoms. The right to live free from need and fear appears in the Preamble to the UDHR, and Article 25 tells us how this should take place. It is further elaborated in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, part of the trio of instruments that make up the Bill of Rights, along with the UDHR.