LEISURE AND HUMAN RIGHTS - THE WORLD LEISURE ORGANISATION CHARTER FOR LEISURE

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Abstract

Leisure is a human right as determined by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR was promulgated in 1948 when the world was still emerging from the horrors of a war, which witnessed a denial of human rights on an industrial scale. The World Leisure Organization (WLO) was established as the International Recreation Association in 1952 and is one of 2,500 organizations with consultative status with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It can therefore be seen as a modest contribution to the new “world order” of the post-World War II era. The first edition of its Charter for Leisure was published in 1970 and it was revised in 1970, 1979, and, more recently, in 2020. Based on these considerations, the purpose of this article is to analyze the Charter's position in the global human rights system and its potential role in leisure policy and research. It is divided into five main sections: The United Nations (UN) human rights system; Revising the Charter for Leisure; The revised Charter for Leisure; Supporting materials; and Conclusions.