The United Nations are today commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - je 10.12.2008 10

The U.N.'s human rights chief has warned that the world's poorest could face more dire abuses as the global financial crisis unfolds. The United Nations and organizations around the world are today commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The charter was adopted in 1948, just after World War II, to ensure that every individual would have recourse to international law to safeguard his or her basic rights. But the treaty is breached as often as honored. United Nations officials say the financial crisis could make it even more difficult to ensure the Charter's provisions are respected -- and warn that poverty is a cause as well as a consequence of violating basic rights.