UNESCO Recognizes The Cyrus Cylinder as the First Documented Human Rights Charter

Nov 7, 2025

Kodoom Persian News Engine:
During the 43rd General Conference of UNESCO, held in Samarkand, the 222nd session of UNESCO's Executive Board officially approved a proposal by Iran and Tajikistan and recognized the Cyrus Charter as the world’s first written document on human rights and cultural diversity, with the unanimous agreement of all member states. This marks the first time that an ancient Iranian document has been globally recognized as a charter directly linked to the concept of human rights.

According to the provisions of this resolution, UNESCO is mandated to integrate the teachings derived from the Cyrus Charter into its educational, cultural, and human rights programs. Egypt, Iraq, Colombia, India, Nigeria, Algeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Senegal, Armenia, and Poland were among the countries that officially supported the adoption of this document.

The initiative aims to promote the universal values embedded in the ancient text—tolerance, justice, and respect for cultural and religious diversity—and aligns with UNESCO’s mission to foster peace, intercultural dialogue, and the preservation of global heritage. It also supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), emphasizing inclusive cooperation through cultural understanding.

The following is from our 2013 Editorial about The Cyrus Cylinder:

The Cyrus Cylinder, one of the most iconic objects in world history, is on tour in the US for the first time ever, and residents of the San Francisco Bay Area will be among the lucky few to see it (event details on the (Museum's official website, and on on Kodoom.com's events calendar). The Cylinder is one of the most iconic objects to have survived from the ancient world—many have called it the first charter of human rights. And now this symbol of international tolerance and justice will be on loan in the US from the British Museum the first time ever.

The Cylinder came to be when King Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BCE (see Persian empire's map below). He commissioned this small, baked-clay form with a cuneiform inscription documenting Cyrus’s unprecedented return of enslaved people to their homelands and his support for freedom of worship. These values underlying ethical governance have inspired generations of philosophers, rulers, elected officials, and artists— from ancient Greece to Renaissance European, the United States’ Founding Fathers and leaders in modern day West Asia.

Map of Persian Empire

Cyrus is mentioned in the Bible's book of Isaiah as people's shepherd (Isaiah 44:28). Italian historian and politician Niccolo Machiavelli, and author of the world classic The Prince in 1532 also adores Cyrus as a true leader: "But to come to those who, by their own ability and not through fortune, have risen to be princes, I say that Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, Theseus, and such like are the most excellent examples." Thomas Jefferson, the famed founding father and President of the United States (1801–1809), also admires Cyrus in a letter in October 1820 written to his grandson Francis Wayles Eppes: "I would advise you to undertake a regular course of History and Poetry in both languages. In Greek, go first thro’ the Cyropaedia [The Education of Cyrus], and then read Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon’s Hellenus and Anabasis."

The Cyrus Cylinder is truly an object of world heritage, produced for a Persian king in Iraq and seen and studied for more than 130 years in the British Museum. People worldwide celebrate its significance — a copy of the Cylinder is on display in the United Nations building in New York City, and it appears on postage stamps issued by the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 2010-11, about a half million people came to see it firsthand during an exhibition in Tehran.

Cyrus The Great: A likeness painting

The US tour debuted at the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, DC in March 2013 (event link). Now the Cylinder is on view at the Asian Art Museum through September 22— one of five stops in the US tour. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this incredible object during its brief appearance in San Francisco. There are free Sundays (first in each month) or discounted admissions for students, Seniors, youth, children, and for everybody on Thursday evenings after 5 PM ($5 only). This is a rare opportunity to see this incredible object during its final weeks in San Francisco.

"The San Francisco Bay Area is home to both the signing of the United Nations Charter and the birth of the Free Speech Movement, major pillars supporting human rights and civil liberties. The Asian Art Museum is proud to partner with the British Museum and our U.S. museum partners to bring the Cyrus Cylinder to San Francisco,” said Jay Xu, director of the Asian Art Museum. “This important object provides not only a foundation for understanding the ancient world, but also a touchstone for continued efforts to strive for common human freedoms."

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