Consider how international institutions can help in the protection of human rights E-Book

Gisela Haege

• Herausgeber: GRIN Verlag
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2003

Beschreibung

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject Politics - Topic: International Organisations, grade: 70 Points (distinction), Lancaster University (Politics and International Relations), course: International Organisations and Foreign Policy, language: English, abstract: Human rights are rights to which all human beings are equally entitled, independently of acts of law. The foundation of this entitlement is human dignity. Human rights are not only to be respected by public authorities (vertical dimension of human rights), but also by private parties (horizontal dimension of human rights) as human rights law increasingly admits. The latter dimension is to be implemented first of all by the national criminal law. Human rights law distinguishes two sets of human rights: first, civil rights (for example the right to life and physical integrity) and political rights (for example the right to participate in politics) and second, social rights (for example the rights of children, women, ethnic groups and the right to social security), economic rights (for example those referring to labour conditions, health and safety at the workplace) and cultural human rights. The realisation of both sets of rights depends on each other. Extreme poverty or illiteracy, for example, makes the exercise of civil and political rights difficult. That it is more expensive to realise social and economic than civil and political human rights, cannot be upheld generally, because mechanisms to monitor and enforce the respect of human rights are needed. Press gives some examples on this. Better working conditions, more occupational safety and social security are examples for costly economic rights.

Leseprobe

Table of Content

Definition of human rights.

Aspects of protection of human rights.

Legitimisation of the UN intervening in human rights matters

Links between human rights and the other activities of the UN

Ambivalence of member states and thus the UN facing human rights

How the United Nations can protect human rights.

a) Prevention.

i) Standard-setting.

ii) Promotion

iii) Changes in national law.

iv) Monitoring

v) Assistance, training and technical cooperation

vi) Institution building

b) Implementation.

i) Justice done to the victims of human rights violations

ii) Redress of damage done to the victims of violations of human rights

iii) Protection of victims from further damage.

Impact of human rights law.

Page 2

Definition of human rights

Human rights are1rights to which all human beings are equally entitled, independently of acts of law. The foundation of this entitlement is human dignity.

Human rights are not only to be respected by public authorities (vertical dimension of human rights), but also by private parties (horizontal dimension of human rights) as human rights law increasingly admits.2The latter dimension is to be implemented first of all by the national criminal law.

Human rights law distinguishes two sets of human rights:3first, civil rights (for example the right to life and physical integrity) and political rights (for example the right to participate in politics) and second, social rights (for example the rights of children, women, ethnic groups and the right to social security), economic rights (for example those referring to labour conditions, health and safety at the workplace) and cultural human rights. The realisation of both sets of rights depends on each other.4Extreme poverty or illiteracy, for example, makes the exercise of civil and political rights difficult. That it is more expensive to realise social and economic than civil and political human rights, cannot be upheld generally, because mechanisms to monitor and enforce the respect of human rights are needed. Press5gives some examples on this. Better working conditions, more occupational safety and social security are examples for costly economic rights.6

1P.J. Flood, The effectiveness of United Nations human rights institutions, Westport, Praeger, 1998; M. Piechowiak, 'What are Human Rights? The Concept of Human Rights and Their Extra-Legal Justification', in R. Hanski & M. Suksi, eds., An introduction to the international protection of human rights: a textbook, 2nd ed., Turku / Åbo, Åbo Akademi University, 1999

2K.Drzewicki, 'The United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights', in R. Hanski & M. Suksi, eds., An introduction to the international protection of human rights: a textbook, 2nded., Turku / Åbo, Åbo Akademi University, 1999

3A.Rosas & M. Scheinin, 'Categories and beneficiaries of human rights', in R. Hanski & M. Suksi, eds., An introduction to the international protection of human rights: a textbook, 2nded., Turku / Åbo, Åbo Akademi University, 19994Drzewicki,op. cit.

5E.Press, 'Human Rights - The Next Step', The Nation, 25 December, 2000

6K.T. Samson & K. Schindler, 'The standard-setting and supervisory system of the International Labour Organisation', in R. Hanski & M. Suksi, eds., An introduction to the international protection of human rights: a textbook, 2nded., Turku / Åbo, Åbo Akademi University, 1999