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An introduction toHuman Rights

The Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project

www.rightsreporting.net

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Humanity will not enjoy

security without development;it will not enjoy development

without security; and it willnot enjoy either without

respect for human rights.

Kofi Annan

Former UN Secretary General

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A clear definition ofhuman rights?

Yes and No:The development and

interpretation of what are

human rights (and how toprotect them) is an evolvingprocess

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Yes Human Rights are existing

laws, standards, conventions andcommon practices

No They are still evolving:

Some are aspirational & not

immediately realizable; Othersremain contested ideas

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A Family of Human Rights

1. Civil & Political Human Rights (fundamental, natural, inherent,

inalienable 1st generation human

rights): Cannot be taken away i.e. rightto life, liberty, justice, freedom ofexpression

2. Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (2nd

generation human rights): Aspirational

3. Group Rights (3rd generation):Environmental & development rights).

Some of these are contested i.e. self

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Human Rights

& the Law

Human Rights have evolved throughcustomary, natural, and international

humanitarian law

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Human Rights& Protection

Protection of the State has

evolved into protection of itsPeople

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Human Rights& Security

Human rights were also born out

of the need to ensure peace andsecurity between states.

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Human Rights &

InternationalHumanitarian Law

Human rights were also bornout of intl humanitarian law

established largely by thefounder of the InternationalRed Cross in Geneva to

govern the conduct of war.

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But the Second World War laid barethe absolute failure of the previous

international order, conventions on

the conduct of war, as well as theability to protect minorities andnationalities. It directly led to the

creation of the United Nations andthe Universal Declaration of HumanRights.

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The Universal Declaration of

Human Rights Adopted by theUN General Assembly on

December 10, 1948 is said to be

the conscience of the world.

It is the most translateddocument in the world.

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It is the global standard and coversthe right to life, liberty and security;freedom from torture; the right to free

movement as well as the right to freeexpression (Article 19).

It makes clear that all individualshave a birthright and are not simplysubject to the whims of the State

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The Universal Declaration wasfollowed by 2 legally binding

Covenants

International Covenant on Politicaland Civil Rights

International Covenant onEconomic, Social & CulturalRights).

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Collectively, they form thebasis of international

human rights protectionand are known as the

International Bill of Rights

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State obligations

Immediate

Progressive realization

The Obligation to Respect

The Obligation to Protect

The Obligation to Fulfill

Non-discrimination

International Obligations

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Human Rights

Its the implementation stupid!

Declarations and legally-binding Covenants are one

thing but how are rightsmonitored and properlyguaranteed?

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The UN Human Rights

monitoring process is currently

built mostly upon annual

reporting (countries submit

reports to the UN).

The latest Philippine Report to

the UN was roundly praised bythe Philippine Government....

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....and condemned as a

whitewash by many NGOgroups.

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All UN bodies are concernedwith Human Rights but themain ones are:

United Nations Commissioner

for Human Rights Human Rights Council

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The seven treaty monitoring bodies are:

1.Committee on Economic, Social and CulturalRights

2.Human Rights Committee

3.Committee against Torture

4.Committee on the Elimination of RacialDiscrimination

5.Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination

against Women

6.Committee on the Rights of the Child;

7.Committee on the Protection of the Rights of AllMigrant Workers and Members of Their Families

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Many people (including many

within the UN), are looking atways of improving the

monitoring andimplementation process. Thework of NGOs is already

highly recognised andappreciated......

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.....but many believe themedia could and should be

doing a lot more to helpparticularly those media in

problem countries.

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Where, after all, do universal human rights

begin? In small places, close to home soclose and so small that they cannot be seenon any maps of the world. Yet they are theworld of the individual person; theneighborhood he lives in; the school or

college he attends; the factory, farm or officewhere he works.

-- Eleanor Roosevelt

Reporting for Rights

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The Philippine Human Rights ReportingProject

www.rightsreporting.net