ABSTRACT
The Human Rights Commission originally planned to draft one treaty as a second step in the process of developing an international bill of rights; they hoped to translate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into a single treaty which would specify and codify the principles set forth in the Declaration. The Covenants were submitted, by the Commission, to the Third Committee in 1954, and were adopted unanimously by the General Assembly in Resolution 2200 (XXI) on December 16, 1966. The Civil and Political Rights Covenant came into force on March 23, 1976, in accordance with Article 49, three months following the deposition of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all civil and political rights set forth in the present Covenant.
