Human Rights
1.a. Key Idea: There is global variation in human rights norms
Human Rights: the basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings are
equally entitled. They are applicable at all times and in all places and they
protect everyone equally, without discrimination (e.g. nationality, sex, religion)
The understanding of human rights in the 21 st century is derived from The
Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the UN General
Assembly in 1948. It set out for the first time the fundamental human rights to
be universally protected and has been translated to over 500 languages. It has
paved the way for the adoption of more than 70 human rights treaties.
It is composed of 30 articles e.g. Article 15 states that everyone has the right to
a nationality
It is non-binding, although human rights are protected by international law
UN was founded in 1945
Human rights violations have occurred in many different parts of the world, in
countries at all levels of development (ACs, EDCs and LIDCs), and at different
scales (individuals to large scale groups)
The impact of globalisation on human rights
Globalisation has increased transnational integration and mobility, which have
simultaneously and diminished the protection of human rights
1. The increased activity at a global scale has enhanced the ability of civil
society (NGOs and other organisation independent of governments) to
promote human rights across borders in places that were previously less
accessible
e.g. Amnesty International called for investigations into a Bulgarian
presidential candidate Boyan Rassate who punched a woman during
an attack on an LGBTQI centre in Bulgaria in 2021, to work in 2016
in Guinea to remove the death penalty as a punishment)
e.g. there has been an increase in the development of Corporate
Social Responsibility. There has been an increase in companies
developing a code of conduct for their activities, and consumer
boycotts and campaigns have led TNCs to be more attentive to
social responsibility due to their reputation risk- enhanced by social
media
2. Globalisation however has also contributed to the creation of power
imbalances which have allowed some organisations to gain power and
perpetrate violations. Globalisation has meant that wealth has become
more and more concentrated in the hands of certain companies/ people
increasing inequality thereby increasing vulnerability e.g. due to forced
displacement and child labour especially where legislation is weaker- TNCs
are often incentivised to outsource labour to places where pay is low and
, there are weaker laws against long working hours. Governments are not
incentivised to change this as this is often what their competitive
advantage is
e.g. TNCs cannot easily be held responsible for human rights
violations when they are legally incorporated in one state but they
conduct in another state
Some further thoughts on how globalisation has affected human rights breaches:
Through increasing communications between people in distant places (e.g.
through social media) it is easier now to find out about and hold
companies accountable
Human rights norms
Human rights norms represent ways of living that have been instilled/ inculcated
into the culture of a country or area over long periods of time and are now
established customary behaviour. The norms are based on the moral principles
that underpin the universally accepted standards of human behaviour
They therefore act as the foundation upon which the UDHR was devised,
informed it
When states sign international treaties, they agree to respect, protect and fulfil
international human rights, through legislation and domestic measures
What is an example of a human rights convention/ treaty?
An example of a convention/ treaty is the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child which lays out the ways in which children should be viewed and treated
and explains the responsibilities of adults and governments to ensure that
children everywhere can enjoy all their rights. It forms the basis of UNICEF’s work
today
What is an example of a health issue becoming a human rights issue?
Infant mortality rate (annual number of deaths of infants under the age of one/
1000 live births) varies greatly between countries e.g. UK is 4.5 and Chad is 91.9
The UN has the view that if a country is not doing all it can to prevent these
deaths, it is not upholding the rights of its most vulnerable people and is
therefore not upholding the rights of its most vulnerable people. So, a health
issue becomes a human rights issue
Intervention
What are the 4 types of intervention?
1. Military intervention
2. Economic sanctions
3. International criminal persecution of human rights violators
4. NGOs working with communities and local governments
, Humanitarian intervention is the efforts to end gross violation of fundamental
human rights through the use of military force by a state or group of states in a
foreign territory
What is the only body that can legally authorise the use of force/ military
intervention?
UN Security Council
Can establish a mandate so that troops can be authorised and drawn from a wide
range of member states
Usually no force is actually used (except in self-defence), mainly the presence
helps to protect citizens from human rights abuse
What other roles do the UN play when intervening in a place where human rights
are being abused?
A UN human rights team works in the area to monitor the situation and to:
assert and empower the population and their human rights
enable governments to implement their human rights obligations and
strengthen rule of law
The UN also coordinates:
regional organisations (e.g. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO with
28 member states, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
OSCE)
NGOs e.g. Red Cross and Oxfam
Public private partnerships e.g. Global Alliance for Vaccines and
Immunisation)
What are some advantages that military intervention can have?
It can be effective in stopping the violations, therefore having immediate/ short
term benefits for local communities. It can therefore contribute to longer term
socio-economic development and political stability
However, what are the possible negative side effects?
the injuries and deaths of civilians
loss of homes
population displacement
increasing human rights abuse
further injustices
widening socio-economic inequalities
What is an example of military intervention?
The 2011 intervention in Libya which was led by France and the UK until NATO
took over and given authority by the UN, to prevent further violation of human
rights e.g. bombing and starvation by the dictatorship
The global governance of human rights is complex and multifaceted. Effective
intervention relies on interactions and co-ordination between state governments,
the UN, civil society and citizens and their use of the tools of direct physical
1.a. Key Idea: There is global variation in human rights norms
Human Rights: the basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings are
equally entitled. They are applicable at all times and in all places and they
protect everyone equally, without discrimination (e.g. nationality, sex, religion)
The understanding of human rights in the 21 st century is derived from The
Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the UN General
Assembly in 1948. It set out for the first time the fundamental human rights to
be universally protected and has been translated to over 500 languages. It has
paved the way for the adoption of more than 70 human rights treaties.
It is composed of 30 articles e.g. Article 15 states that everyone has the right to
a nationality
It is non-binding, although human rights are protected by international law
UN was founded in 1945
Human rights violations have occurred in many different parts of the world, in
countries at all levels of development (ACs, EDCs and LIDCs), and at different
scales (individuals to large scale groups)
The impact of globalisation on human rights
Globalisation has increased transnational integration and mobility, which have
simultaneously and diminished the protection of human rights
1. The increased activity at a global scale has enhanced the ability of civil
society (NGOs and other organisation independent of governments) to
promote human rights across borders in places that were previously less
accessible
e.g. Amnesty International called for investigations into a Bulgarian
presidential candidate Boyan Rassate who punched a woman during
an attack on an LGBTQI centre in Bulgaria in 2021, to work in 2016
in Guinea to remove the death penalty as a punishment)
e.g. there has been an increase in the development of Corporate
Social Responsibility. There has been an increase in companies
developing a code of conduct for their activities, and consumer
boycotts and campaigns have led TNCs to be more attentive to
social responsibility due to their reputation risk- enhanced by social
media
2. Globalisation however has also contributed to the creation of power
imbalances which have allowed some organisations to gain power and
perpetrate violations. Globalisation has meant that wealth has become
more and more concentrated in the hands of certain companies/ people
increasing inequality thereby increasing vulnerability e.g. due to forced
displacement and child labour especially where legislation is weaker- TNCs
are often incentivised to outsource labour to places where pay is low and
, there are weaker laws against long working hours. Governments are not
incentivised to change this as this is often what their competitive
advantage is
e.g. TNCs cannot easily be held responsible for human rights
violations when they are legally incorporated in one state but they
conduct in another state
Some further thoughts on how globalisation has affected human rights breaches:
Through increasing communications between people in distant places (e.g.
through social media) it is easier now to find out about and hold
companies accountable
Human rights norms
Human rights norms represent ways of living that have been instilled/ inculcated
into the culture of a country or area over long periods of time and are now
established customary behaviour. The norms are based on the moral principles
that underpin the universally accepted standards of human behaviour
They therefore act as the foundation upon which the UDHR was devised,
informed it
When states sign international treaties, they agree to respect, protect and fulfil
international human rights, through legislation and domestic measures
What is an example of a human rights convention/ treaty?
An example of a convention/ treaty is the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child which lays out the ways in which children should be viewed and treated
and explains the responsibilities of adults and governments to ensure that
children everywhere can enjoy all their rights. It forms the basis of UNICEF’s work
today
What is an example of a health issue becoming a human rights issue?
Infant mortality rate (annual number of deaths of infants under the age of one/
1000 live births) varies greatly between countries e.g. UK is 4.5 and Chad is 91.9
The UN has the view that if a country is not doing all it can to prevent these
deaths, it is not upholding the rights of its most vulnerable people and is
therefore not upholding the rights of its most vulnerable people. So, a health
issue becomes a human rights issue
Intervention
What are the 4 types of intervention?
1. Military intervention
2. Economic sanctions
3. International criminal persecution of human rights violators
4. NGOs working with communities and local governments
, Humanitarian intervention is the efforts to end gross violation of fundamental
human rights through the use of military force by a state or group of states in a
foreign territory
What is the only body that can legally authorise the use of force/ military
intervention?
UN Security Council
Can establish a mandate so that troops can be authorised and drawn from a wide
range of member states
Usually no force is actually used (except in self-defence), mainly the presence
helps to protect citizens from human rights abuse
What other roles do the UN play when intervening in a place where human rights
are being abused?
A UN human rights team works in the area to monitor the situation and to:
assert and empower the population and their human rights
enable governments to implement their human rights obligations and
strengthen rule of law
The UN also coordinates:
regional organisations (e.g. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO with
28 member states, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe
OSCE)
NGOs e.g. Red Cross and Oxfam
Public private partnerships e.g. Global Alliance for Vaccines and
Immunisation)
What are some advantages that military intervention can have?
It can be effective in stopping the violations, therefore having immediate/ short
term benefits for local communities. It can therefore contribute to longer term
socio-economic development and political stability
However, what are the possible negative side effects?
the injuries and deaths of civilians
loss of homes
population displacement
increasing human rights abuse
further injustices
widening socio-economic inequalities
What is an example of military intervention?
The 2011 intervention in Libya which was led by France and the UK until NATO
took over and given authority by the UN, to prevent further violation of human
rights e.g. bombing and starvation by the dictatorship
The global governance of human rights is complex and multifaceted. Effective
intervention relies on interactions and co-ordination between state governments,
the UN, civil society and citizens and their use of the tools of direct physical
