Dag Hammarskjöld Library at Uppsala University
Freedom of Opinion and Expression
- © United Nations
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights refers to freedom of opinion and expression as a human right. This is formulated in Article 19:
"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
These principles constitute the foundation of the United Nations resolutions, conventions and declarations in this field.
The right to freedom of expression and opinion is guaranteed in Article 19 of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted in 1966 and entered into force in 1976.
In 1993, the Commission on Human Rights established a Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression to examine, monitor and report on torture worldwide. This mechanism has now been assumed by the Human Rights Council.
Documentation
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Background information and full text reports and documents are posted at the official web site of the International Covenant on and Political Rights, section Human Rights of the UN official web site.
Recent documents and reports from the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression are posted at the UN official web site, section Human Rights.
Yearbook of the United Nations provides an overview of the United Nations action for the protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. A complete collection of yearbooks is held by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, Uppsala, and the Libraries at UN Headquarters in New York and Geneva. Since October 2008 the complete full text collection of The United Nations Yearbooks is available online at http://unyearbook.un.org/.
Databases and Indexes
The UN Library online catalogue UNBISnet contains reports, documents and articles related to UN activities with links to
full texts for recent years. Subject search can be performed using relevant terms from the UNBIS THESAURUS.
The State Parties of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights are obliged to submit reports on the implementation of the Convention to the Human Rights Committee. These Country reports and the Concluding observations and Comments of the Committee are posted in the Treaty Body Database at the UN official web site, Section Human Rights. Reports in print for earlier years are included in the UN Collection of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, Uppsala, and the Libraries at UN Headquarters in New York and Geneva.
The reports of the Special Rapporteur to the Human Rights Council can be accessed through the Charter Body database at the UN official web site, section Human Rights.