Human Rights: Questions and Answers; 2012
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t da ed p u 6th HUMAN e d o n RIGHTS i t i QUESTIONS and ANSWERS by Leah Levin with cartoons by Plantu UNESCO Publishing United Nations (GXFDWLRQDO6FLHQWL¿FDQG Cultural Organization HUMAN RIGHTS Questions and Answers HUMAN RIGHTS Questions and Answers Leah Levin Illustrated by Plantu Updated 6th edition Konstantinos Tararas (editor) UNESCO Publishing United Nations [ Cultural Organization First published in 1981 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP © UNESCO 2012 All rights reserved ISBN 978-92-3-104238-6 The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Reprinted with corrections, 1982 Second edition, updated, 1989 Third edition, 1996 Fourth edition, updated, 2004 Fifth edition, updated, 2009 Sixth edition, updated, 2012 The previous editions have been published in thirty-six languages: English, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2009; French, 1981, 1997, 2005, 2009; Spanish, 1982, 1998; Finnish, 1983, 2003; German, 1983; Greek, 1985, 2012; Portuguese, 1985; Swedish, 1985, 2000; Arabic, 1986, 2009, 2011; Danish, 1986; Indonesian, 1987; Japanese, 1988,1999; Slovak, 1993; Russian, 1993, 1997; Armenian, 1994, 1998; Belarusian, 1995; Bulgarian, 1997; Georgian, 1997; Urdu, 1998; Assamiya, 1998; Bangala, 1998; Hindi, 1998; Kannada, 1998; Marathi, 1998; Tamil, 1998; Romanian, 1998, 2002; Esperanto, 1998; Azerbaijani, 1999; Spanish/Basque 1999; Basque, 2000; Bosnian, 2001; Albanian, 2001; Hebrew, 2006; Korean, 2007, 2012; Catalan, 2010; Telugu, 2010; Italian, 2012. Cover illustration: Plantu Graphic design: UNESCO Publishing Cover design: UNESCO Publishing Illustrations: Plantu Edited by: Konstantinos Tararas Typeset: UNESCO Publishing Printed by: UNESCO Printed in France Contents Preface . 7 Author . 13 Illustrator . 15 Acknowledgements . 17 Part I International human rights law: Questions and answers ...................................................... 19 Human rights: general introduction . 19 The International Bill of Human Rights . 24 International instruments concerning specific human rights issues . 42 International instruments related to the protection of specific groups . 56 Procedures for the promotion and protection of human rights . 90 Protection of human rights in times of armed conflict and responses to systematic and gross violations of human rights . 101 United Nations bodies, programmes and specialized agencies dealing with human rights . 108 Regional human rights instruments and procedures . 130 The role of civil society and the private sector in the field of human rights . 149 Human rights education . 155 Contemporary challenges . 161 Part II The Universal Declaration of Human Rights What each Article means . 175 Acronyms . 219 Preface When the United Nations was created in 1945, the founding States reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women. They expressed their determination to aspire to create a world where human rights and fundamental freedoms would be universally respected and observed for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted three years later, was the first concrete step towards ensuring a social and international order in which all rights could be fully realized. For the first time in history, a list of fundamental rights and freedoms belonging to all members of the human family were internationally agreed upon. These norms and principles of the Declaration constituted a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations and became a source of inspiration for constitutions and national laws of a great number of countries. The Universal Declaration laid the foundations for the development of international human rights law and the cornerstone for consequent efforts to implement human rights at the international and national levels. Its provisions guided the normative work of the United Nations (UN), which now encompasses a considerable number and range of instruments of different legal status (i.e. conventions, declarations, recommendations and resolutions). These instruments and especially 7 the nine core UN treaties further elaborated the rights enshrined in the Declaration, expanded their scope and established new standards.1 Normative action has been complemented by the setting up of mechanisms to oversee the observance of international standards at the national level. The establishment of monitoring mechanisms is an integral part of the core UN treaties. Through the examination of periodic reports, committees of independent experts assess States Parties’ compliance with their treaty obligations. Certain of these treaties enable individuals to file a complaint against a State if they consider that their rights have been violated. Efforts to promote human rights at the country level have benefited from the dedicated work of the special procedure mandate- holders (called special rapporteurs) of the Commission on Human Rights and maintained by its successor, the Human Rights Council. Their contribution has been critical, both in terms of pinpointing serious violations and of enhancing the content of international human rights standards. A promising innovation of the Human Rights Council was the launching in 2007 of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Unlike treaty mechanisms, which are applicable only to States Parties, this mechanism potentially opened a new page in the struggle for human rights by allowing for the review of the human rights record of all UN Member States based on the provisions of the Universal Declaration. Beyond these mechanisms, the advancement of human rights has been the shared responsibility of numerous bodies, programmes and specialized agencies within the United Nations system, each one contributing through standard-setting, research, technical assistance and advocacy within its fields of competence. For example, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) defends the rights of the child, the International Labour Organization (ILO) protects the rights of workers and the World Health Organization (WHO) promotes the right to health. Likewise, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has special responsibility with regard to the right 1 The nine core UN treaties are: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the Convention against Torture; the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families; the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. 8 to education, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to take part in cultural life, the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications and the right to water. The responsibility of coordinating the work of the United Nations System lies with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). At the regional level, many intergovernmental organizations are active in the field of human rights, such as the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Organization of American States. While the primary responsibility for upholding human rights standards remains with States, other actors make a significant contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights. Non-governmental organizations in all parts of the world are actively involved in the promotion and protection of human rights at the grassroots but also at the international level. Their main function is acting as ‘watchdogs’ against human rights violations and as catalysts for the progressive development of human rights law. The academic community, the media and the business world are called upon to work together with governments, State institutions, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to achieve the aims proclaimed in the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UNESCO Constitution and the constitutive charters of other UN institutions. Owing to the complementary efforts of all these institutions and actors, important advancements have been realized. First of all, human rights have ceased to be regarded as an exclusively domestic issue. The establishment of new standards and the setting-up of new monitoring mechanisms have progressively generated a culture of dialogue and scrutiny within international organizations. States are confronted with a higher level of accountability for their human rights record and required to submit to public review of their performance. Moreover, a sense of collective responsibility for massive