Every major international human rights treaty—whether addressing civil, political, social, or economic rights—includes a comprehensive commitment to equality and non-discrimination. Constitutional and legislative guarantees of equal rights and non-discrimination are fundamental to any country’s efforts to realize these commitments and to ensure that everyone within their borders has equal access to employment and educational opportunities, public goods and services, legal protections, and political voice.
The WORLD Policy Analysis Center has analyzed constitutions, labor laws, and equal rights legislation for all 193 UN member states to create globally comparative, quantitatively analyzable data on guarantees of equal rights across 15 distinct protected characteristics including race/ethnicity, migration status, gender, religion, family status, sexual orientation and gender identity, disability, and more. In addition to overall guarantees of equal rights, WORLD has also examined specific protections in the contexts of employment, education, health, and family.
