What are human rights? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights marks the first effort to define the rights of people on a global scale. Today, the declaration represents action taken by people around the world who wanted what happened in Nazi Germany to never happen again. However, when the genocide in Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Kosovo and East Timor surfaced, authorities were reluctant to intervene; this resulted in many casualties and lost lives. It is with the idea that human rights are equal, because they are natural and universal, that all human rights should have the same degree of urgency. Although many are unaware of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this document has shaped the world. Many people still struggle against repression, but there are many more who never question the rights they hold. How do societies progress if certain human rights have different levels of priority? How can the Universal Declaration of Human Rights serve as a standard if the rights stated have different levels of importance? There are many contradictions in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights when the priority of each right is separated and made unequal; many are blind to the benefits of such equality. At the international level, there are also many benefits to be reaped: political pressure can be a powerful force if used appropriately. All these factors affect human rights, all these factors express the need for equality. Each year, the Human Rights Committee (ICCPR) meets 9 weeks a year, it has approximately 167 parties; the committees on economic, social and cultural rights (ICESCR), as well as on the elimination of racial discrimination (ICERD) meet approximately 6 weeks per year and organize parties of 160 (ICESCR) per...... middle of paper. ..... focusing on these issues, so they avoid their understanding of the problem and try to distance themselves as much as possible in order to decrease the chances of becoming familiar with the problem. As humans, most feel a pang of sadness and remorse for those who suffer around the world, for anyone who fights against oppression. Although it is in our nature to care and help, turning a blind eye is the most common form of action, because no one wants to be the advocate, the target, or the leader. What needs to be understood is that all human rights require equality in order to address the severity of the violations. Advocating for maintaining human rights at distinct levels of importance is no longer relevant today, it has been done and it is the current course of action. Even if it achieves results in specific areas, it also fails in other equally important crises.