note 2

On the initiative of Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt the original text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written in 1948 by Professor John Humphrey (Canada), the United Nations Human Rights Director , with contributions by Dr. Charles H. Malik (Lebanon) and Dr. Peng-Chun Chang (China). The result of the final vote was: 48 countries in favour, none against, 2 absent, and 8 abstentions, mostly by Soviet bloc countries. (N.B. In 1948 there were 58 member states of the United Nations; in 2006 there are 192 member states of the United Nations)