Most people have some idea of what human rights are – they are the things that every person is entitled to simply by being born. They are the things we all need to live with dignity and to be safe from oppression, violence and discrimination. Human rights protect us against each other, but they also protect us against ourselves.
Human rights are not a Western invention, and they are not a 20th-century invention. They have always been part of the human conscience and a search for justice, regardless of cultural or religious traditions. The terrible atrocities of World War II sparked the emergence of an international body to define and uphold human rights, culminating in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948.
The UDHR is a milestone document that established a set of fundamental standards of achievement for all countries and all peoples, based on their inherent dignity and equality. It consists of 10 articles, describing a range of basic freedoms and rights that all humans are born with, and have the same right to enjoy.
While the UDHR provides a clear outline of what human rights are, it does not include all the issues that can be interpreted as violating one or more of these core principles. Almost every country in the world has its own interpretation of what constitutes a human right, and even within one country there are differences in opinion on particular issues. This is largely due to different histories, political, social and economic conditions and cultural traditions.
Some rights are more important than others, but no single right can be regarded as being of greater importance than any other, since the enjoyment of any one is dependent on the enjoyment of all. Consequently, all human rights are of equal value.
The universal nature of human rights also means that they must be respected equally everywhere in the world. This means that no matter a country’s wealth, it is never justifiable to violate human rights – no one group of people is more important than another.
Human rights violations can be widespread and impact all aspects of a society. They can affect a person’s ability to live a life of dignity, and they can lead to conflict and incite hatred against protected groups. They can also undermine the functioning of societies and weaken economies.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of states to respect and uphold human rights, but this does not exclude other actors in the global community. Individuals and civil society organisations have a responsibility to promote human rights, and to call out governments when they do not meet their obligations in this regard.
The United Nations system is designed to support the work of countries in implementing their human rights obligations and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. At the heart of this system are the UN human rights treaties and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, which reviews how a country is respecting its human rights obligations and commitments. The Council of Human Rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights all play their parts in this process.