70 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Seven steps — symbolising the seven parròquies (parishes) of Andorra — shaped like mountains descending toward the centre of the coin, where the name 'ANDORRA' and the year '2018' are inscribed. The steps simultaneously form the branches of a tree representing humanity, with Andorra as part of it. The thirty leaves sprouting from the branches stand for the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration. The design is encircled by the Catalan inscription '70 ANYS DE LA DECLARACIÓ UNIVERSAL DELS DRETS HUMANS' (70 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights).

For Andorra, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights holds particular institutional significance. The small Pyrenean state received its first modern constitution only in 1993 - the same year Andorra joined the United Nations and ratified the key international human rights agreements. The 1948 Declaration, in which the UN General Assembly formulated fundamental rights for all people worldwide, has since served as a normative reference point for Andorran law as well. The principality, which for centuries stood under the joint suzerainty of the Bishop of Urgell and the French head of state, enshrined freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and protection from discrimination as fundamental rights in its 1993 constitution - values first codified as universal in the 1948 Declaration.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted in the direct aftermath of the Second World War: a committee led by Eleanor Roosevelt prepared the text, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 with 48 votes in favour and none against. The document's 30 articles - ranging from freedom of expression to the right to education and the prohibition of torture - remain the most translated legal text in the world. Although the Declaration is not legally binding under international law, it has influenced constitutions worldwide and is regarded as the foundation of the international human rights system. To mark the 70th anniversary of its adoption, Andorra issued a 2-euro commemorative coin in 2018, positioning the country as part of this global community of values.