The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written following World War Two by the United Nations. It is instrumental in laying out many of the rights every person should have in the hopes of preventing the terrible violations and conditions of the war. From genocide to slaughter on the battlefield, the war was an experience no one wanted to repeat. While wars and genocides unfortunately still go on in the world, countries are now better equipped with a solid, agreed-upon set of decisions to say "Your country must fulfill these requirements or we will put economic or other pressure on you." It isn't perfect, but it's a huge step for human rights.
Knowing your rights is the first step to fulfilling them, and this document enumerates what people should be allowed to do and gives us a world to strive for.