The UN Charter, which has played the catalyst
role in the human rights movement, does not give
a definition of fundamental freedoms and human
rights, nor does it provide any machinery to secure
their observance. This task has been fulfilled by the
subsequent United Nations instruments. The First
critical instrument was the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, adopted by the General
Assembly on December 10, 1948. It defined
expressly certain human rights and fundamental
freedoms that need to be protected.