The Declaration of Principles on Equality, as its title indicates, provides only the most general and abstract synthesis of legal standards on equality. Those who would be looking for more detailed guidance on specific issues would be disappointed. But the Declaration’s significance consists in the fact that it documents a degree of moral and professional consensus among global experts at the most fundamental level, reflecting both basic values shared by the signatories and a negotiated agreement on exactly how to express these values in the form and the language of universal legal principles. As an established common ground, the Declaration can therefore serve as the basis for further elaboration of specific legal standards related to equality issues.
