United States Ratification of the Human Rights Covenants

On October 5, 1977, President Carter signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, I and the Interna- tional Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.2 On that day, the Presi- dent promised to promptly transmit the two treaties to the Senate for ratification. In so doing, he drew a parallel between the lofty standard of liberty and equality embodied in the American Declara- tion of Independence and the principles of international human rights reflected in the United Nations Charter.