Le terme « homme » est-il vraiment universel ? La Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme (DUDH) est-elle une traduction correcte de l’anglais «Universal Declaration of Human Rights» ? Ne faudrait-il pas plutôt parler des « droits humains », comme cela est déjà souvent le cas en Suisse romande ? Les « All human beings » de l’article 1 de la DUDH sont en effet correctement traduits par « Tous les êtres humains » en français. La discussion sur l’inclusion sémantique des femmes ne date pas d’hier, preuve en est cet article du Conseiller Scientifique aux Nations-Unies Pierre-Etienne Bourneuf (en version abrégée en anglais).

How “All human beings” replaced “All men” in Art.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”: the opening sentence of Art.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is powerfully phrased. However, the efforts behind the inclusive phrasing of this iconic sentence remain little-known. It was first discussed in Geneva in December 1947, when the Commission on Human Rights considered the preliminary draft prepared by the French delegate René Cassin.

After reviewing by a “Working Group”– which included delegates and representatives of NGOs, the first draft of Art.1’s opening sentence read: “All men are born free and equal in dignity and rights ». The draft was then discussed in plenary meetings by the Commission, where only two women were members: Eleanor Roosevelt (US delegate and Chair) and Hansa Metha, delegate of India. On her capacity of Chair, Roosevelt defended the wording of the draft and replied to the objecting Metha that the expression “all men” had been already used in countless declarations in the past. “Men” was generally accepted to include all human beings.

A compromise was found by inserting footnote below Art.1: “Wherever the word ‘men’ is used, the Commission implied both men and women”. When the discussions resumed in April 1948, Metha presented an amendment (with the UK) to change the phrasing to “all people, men and women”. However, contrary to the previous discussions, a consensus emerged to make the sentence more inclusive.

Cassin acknowledged that the expression “all men” caused criticism and supported “all members of the human family”, while the Belgian delegate suggested to replace it with “all human beings”. Eventually, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” was adopted by the Commission. The draft Declaration was then submitted to the General Assembly, which convened in Paris, where the phrasing of Art.1 remained unchanged.