The General Assembly of the United Nations has often dealt with human rights in its reseolutions and declarations. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, for example, is a resolutions enacted by the General Assembly. However, such resolutions or declarations are of recommendatory nature only. Their legal meaning lies in their ability to reflect customary law, become customary law, and to constitute the foundation for future legally binding treaties. For example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was the reference document for both Human Rights Covenants and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and it's key clauses meanwhile reflect customary international law. 

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Most of these resolutions and conventions are negotiated by the Third Committee, the Committee for Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee (SOCHUM). It is one of six Committees subdivided by themes that the General Assembly has called into being to manage its numerous tasks.