The United Nations’ International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights transformed political desires into enforceable claims, eroding the classical understanding of natural rights.

On January 3, 1976 — 50 years ago — the United Nations’ “International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights” entered into force with the backing of the Soviet Union and the Cold War “Non-Aligned Movement” (NAM). Intended to secure the “right” to housing, health care, fair wages, paid vacations, and other benefits globally, the International Covenant is a prime example of conflating rights with desires.

Thankfully, this socialist project, advanced under the banner of “human rights,” never became the law of the land in the United States. President Jimmy Carter signed the International Covenant at the UN headquarters in 1977, but it has since awaited ratification in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Cold War anxieties about the spread of socialism and communism may have hindered its acceptance among Congress and the public. However, 35 years after the Cold War, socialism is surging in popularity, especially among young Americans, and it’s important to reiterate the dangers of the UN’s International Covenant, lest it makes a comeback and the treaty is ratified.

Russell Kirk wrote that two “essential conditions” are attached to all true rights: first, the capacity of individuals to claim and exercise the alleged right; and second, the correspondent duty that is married to every right. The right to practice one’s religion freely involves a duty to respect others’ religious beliefs; the right to private property dovetails with the responsibility to not violate someone else’s possessions. Thus, true rights are mutually beneficial and reinforcing, undergirded by the virtues of justice and prudence.

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