While there is no formal international bill of rights, many consider three United Nations works to found the informal international bill of rights. These three works include the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (adopted in 1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR, 1966). The UN Universal Declaration was more like a statement of aspirations and was not legally binding by the signatories. The two covenants are legally binding and legally enforceable.

Human rights instruments