The majority of humanity has the right to starve, the right to live in poverty, the right to be denied healthcare, employment and education. Only some human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

Thus might the authors of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights be tempted to rewrite their original document, in the light of developments since 1948. At times it appears as if these are the only "rights" that the majority of the world's population are guaranteed to enjoy. The concept of human rights as outlined in the 1948 declaration is somewhat different to that which has gained currency today.

Human rights as envisioned in the entire 30 articles of the original declaration related to the totality of human existence: spiritual, intellectual, political, social and economic freedom were conceived as essential and indivisible parts of the whole. No particular aspect was given precedence.

However, the declaration became an effective weapon of the Cold War and was grossly distorted in the process. With that conflict consigned to history it is vital we ensure that human rights never again become hostage to vested political interests.

Of equal importance is the growth of a consensus around placing human rights at the heart of future development. In this regard, witness the close attention accorded the role and activities of UN Human Rights Commissioner Mrs Mary Robinson or, closer to home, the emphasis placed on human rights in the creation and implementation of the Belfast Agreement.

However, if the concept of human rights is to have universal relevance and significance, it is vital that the breadth and depth of the original 1948 declaration be recovered.

Thus, whilst vigorously defending and promoting the universal right to "freedom of thought, conscience and religion" (article 18), we must be equally vigorous in the promotion and defence of the universal rights outlined in article 25: "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

Elsewhere Articles 23, 24 and 26 proclaim the rights to work, to belong to a trade union, to decent pay and education.

The inclusion of these rights in the declaration is a clear assertion that food, work, shelter, healthcare and education are the right of all the world's people, not a small minority. More fundamentally, their very categorisation as human rights affirms that the absence of food, shelter, work and education is a problem created by humans. These are common human problems that can be solved by common human action. Just as the right to freedom of opinion and expression can be won through popular struggle, or vindicated by international action, so too with the universal rights to food, shelter, work and education.

There is nothing particularly complex underlying the fact that almost 800 million men, women and children simply do not get enough to eat every day; that one- third of the world's children go to bed hungry every night.

It is neither an act of God nor nature that determines that 1.5 billion people - a quarter of the world's population - live in absolute poverty.

The reasons are actually very simple: man-made conflict, an unequal sharing of the world's wealth, unequal access to land, water and credit.

Even in the case of natural disasters, it is the poor that suffer most. Cyclones, hurricanes or floods do not kill thousands and leave many thousands more homeless and hungry in the United States.

That is precisely what they have done in Bangladesh, Honduras and India, in the recent past.

Indeed, a recent report from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) pointed out that humankind is now directly responsible for more food shortages than so-called natural disasters, arising out of war, civil strife and economic crises. The FAO also noted that 35 countries currently face food shortages, the highest number since 1984.

Living standards in the bulk of Sub-Saharan Africa are lower today than they were in the 1960s. Today, there are 100 million more people living in poverty across Sub-Saharan Africa, than was the case in 1985.

Against the backdrop of these increases the FAO also noted that humanity's capacity to fight "food crises" is now better than it was a decade ago.

The capacity is there, the political will apparently not.

Human rights cannot be isolated, divided or ranked. Either the right to food and shelter are promoted with the same vigour as the right to vote, or the declaration becomes meaningless. As does the very concept of universal human rights.

David Begg is chief executive of Concern