ROLE OF UNITED NATIONS IN PROMOTING GLOBAL HUMAN  RIGHTS  

What Are Human Rights?  

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality,  ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and  liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work  and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.  

International Human Rights Law  

International human rights law lays down rules and obligations of Governments to act in a  certain way or refraining from doing certain acts, in order to promote and protect human rights  and fundamental freedoms of individuals. The United Nations created a comprehensive body  of human rights law which is a universal and internationally protected code to which all nations  can subscribe and all people aspire. The United Nations has defined a wide range of  internationally accepted rights including the civil, cultural, economic, political and social  rights. It has also established ways to promote and protect these rights and to assist states in  carrying out their responsibilities. The foundations of this body of law are the Charter of the  United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the General  Assembly in 1945 and 1948, respectively. Since then, the United Nations has gradually  expanded human rights law to encompass specific standards for women, children, persons with  disabilities, minorities and other vulnerable groups, who now possess rights that protect them  from discrimination that had long been common in many societies.  

United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 by General Assembly  resolution 217 A (III) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations.  For the first time fundamental human rights, we’re to be universally protected. The universal  declaration of human rights includes 30 articles and since its adoption in 1948, the UDHR has  been translated into 500 languages. It is therefore the most translated document in the world. It  has also helped many newly independent nations and democracies all throughout the world in  framing, its constitution. The UDHR, together with the International Covenant on Civil and  Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols (on the complaints procedure and on the death  penalty) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and its  Optional Protocol, form the so-called International Bill of Human Rights. 

Economic, social and cultural rights  

The international covenant of economic, social and cultural rights came into force in 1976. Its  committee includes 18 independent experts that monitors the implementation of the covenant  by state parties. The human rights that the covenant seeks to promote include the following:  

• the right to work in just and favourable conditions;  

• the right to social protection, to an adequate standard of living and to the highest attainable  standards of physical and mental well-being;  

• the right to education and the enjoyment of benefits of cultural freedom and scientific  progress.  

Civil and political rights  

The international covenant on civil and political rights and its first optional protocol came into  force in 1976 and the second optional protocol came into force in 1991. The human rights  committee monitors the implementation of this treaty and optional protocols. The covenant  deals with the following rights:  

• Freedom of movement  

• Equality before law  

• The right to a fear, trial and presumption of innocence  

• Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion  

• Freedom of opinion and expression  

• Peaceful assembly  

• Freedom of Association  

• Participation in public affairs and election  

• Protection of minority rights  

It prohibits the following:  

• Arbitrary deprivation of life  

• Torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment  

• Slavery and forced labour 

• Arbitrary arrest or detention  

• Arbitrary in interference with privacy  

• War propaganda  

• Discrimination  

• Advocacy of religious or racial hatred  

Human Rights Conventions  

A series of international human rights treaties and other instruments adopted since 1945 have  expanded the body of international human rights law. It includes the following:  

1. Convention on prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide (1948)  2. International convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (1965)  3. Convention of elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (1979)  4. Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)  

5. Convention of Rights of persons with Disabilities (2006)  

Human Rights Council  

Human rights Council was established on 15 March 2006 by General Assembly, it replaces the  60-year-old UN Commision on Human Rights as the key UN intergovernmental body  responsible for human rights. The council is made up of 47 representative states and is tasked  strengthening and promoting of human rights around the globe, addressing situations on human  rights violation and and making suggestions to stop them. It also includes responding to human  rights emergencies. The most innovative feature of the Human Rights Council is the Universal  Periodic Review (UPR). This unique mechanism involves a review of the human rights records  of all 193 UN member states once every four years. The Review is a cooperative, state-driven  process, under the auspices of the Council, which provides the opportunity for each state to  present measures taken and challenges to be met to improve the human rights situation in their  country and to meet their international obligations. The Review is designed to ensure  universality and equality of treatment for every country and takes place during the sessions of  the UPR Working Group which meets three times a year. The UPR Working Group consists  of the 47 members of the Council. 

Special Procedures and Investigative Bodies  

Human rights Council has special procedures which usually consist of independent human  rights experts who have the mandate to report and advice on human rights from a thematic or  country specific perspective. These experts are not paid and are elected for 3-year mandates  that can be extended for another three years. Since 2006, the Council has set up various  investigative bodies to look into alleged violations in specific countries. These have taken the  form of fact-finding missions and commissions of inquiry. In addition, there is one thematic  body, the Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement.  

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights  

The United Nations High Commissioner for human rights has the principal responsibility of  the UN human rights activities. It is mandated to respond to serious violations of human rights  and take steps to prevent it. Office of the high commissioner for human rights serves as the  Secretariat for the human rights Council, the treaty bodies, and other UN human rights organs.  It also undertakes other human rights field activities. Most of the core treaties have a body  which is responsible for reviewing the implementation of the treaty by the countries that have  ratified it. Individuals, whose rights have been violated can file complaints directly to  Committees overseeing human rights treaties.  

Human Rights and the UN System  

Human rights is a cross-cutting theme in all UN policies and programmes in the key areas of  peace and security, development, humanitarian assistance, and economic and social affairs.  Therefore, virtually every UN body and specialized agency is involved to some degree in the  protection of human rights. Some examples are as follows:  

• right to development, which is at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals.  • right to food, championed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization  • labour rights, defined and protected by the International Labour Organization.  • gender equality, which is promulgated by UN Women.  

• the rights of children, indigenous peoples, and disabled persons Human Rights Day is  observed every year on 10 December.  

REFERENCE  

WEBSITES  

1) https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/human-rights 

2) https://www.un.org/en/our-work/protect-human-rights