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Mrs. Roosevelt Urges “scrapping” International Pacts on Human Rights

November 26, 1958
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Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the chief architects of the Declaration of Human Rights, exploded a bombshell today among advocates of United Nations adoption of human rights covenants. Mrs. Roosevelt called outright for the “scrapping” of the proposed international treaties which are currently being debated in. the General Assembly’s Committee on Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs.

As chairman of the UN Human Rights Commission, Mrs. Roosevelt was one of the prime movers in drafting and submitting the proposed human rights covenants to the General Assembly eight years ago. Her statement today proposing that the covenant move be abandoned was made In a recorded interview being distributed among schools.

Mrs. Roosevelt declared that she believes it would take too long a time for the world to find universally acceptable formulations needed for the adoption of the human rights covenants. Instead, she said, “I would scrap the covenants and keep the Declaration for its moral impact.”

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