Lives on Hyphens: Contributions of Hernán Santa Cruz from Chile and Guy Pérez Cisneros from Cuba to the UDHR

Abstract

The story of the making of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is, essentially, the story of a group of men and women who brought to the drafting table their deeply held convictions about what makes us human, the provenance of our rights, and our individual and collective duties and obligations. Naturally, for some delegates, these convictions grew out of their faith. This essay reflects on the contributions made by Hernán Santa Cruz, from Chile, and Guy Pérez Cisneros, from Cuba. It suggests why these contributions have been largely lost to history and reflects on how their faith was shaped by the circumstances in which they lived and, in turn, shaped the Declaration. Their perspectives are captured from their writing, secondary literature, and the observations of a chronicler of the drafting, John P. Humphrey.