Although all civilisations and religions have had certain rights and duties, benefits and obligations for their people, the notion of human rights as it is currently understood is a Western model and arguably a rather young idea. The study of human rights is an extremely complicated matter and has been discussed and researched for decades and yet still no general agreement has been reached. This piece is set out to examine human rights and the importance of the UN agenda in the worldwide promotion of human rights.
A brief historical overview will be given over the enforcement of human rights in international organisations, although it would go beyond the boundaries of this piece to describe the history of human rights activism in detail. The author will then discuss whether human rights are universal and go on to show the benefits of general and international rights of men. Finally, this piece shall debate why the UN human rights agenda is so limited given human rights are universal and promote international peace and security and it shall be argued that limited UN activism towards human rights is actually benefitting instead of interfering with the global promotion of human rights.
At a glance
- Grade: 1.5 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Discusses Ruggie’s polycentric governance approach to human rights
- 13 sources in the bibliography
Table of Contents
The document does not contain a table of contents.
Aim and Topics
This essay examines the promotion of human rights by the United Nations and asks why the UN human rights agenda is limited despite claims that human rights are universal and support international peace and security.
- The historical development of international human rights
- The UN Commission on Human Rights and its successor, the Human Rights Council
- Universality, cultural difference and human dignity
- State interests and the limitations of international enforcement
- The roles of non-governmental organisations and other actors
Excerpt from the Book
Essay ‐ Why is the UN Human Rights agenda so limited?
Certainly, human rights take a prime position in public discourse. The discipline is diverse and has over time “taken under its wing all the more important aspirations of humankind [so] that it includes by now virtually everything that disinterested universal benevolence can conceive of” (Best, 1995, p.786). Indeed, the UN has issued resolutions on such widespread topics as the rights of indigenous people, the question of death penalty and the enhancement of international cooperation (UN, 2015). The actions following most resolutions are on the other hand rather limited and states are at best disinterested in human rights if not they even actively breach treaties. Member states of the UN pursue their own, national interests and use their membership to either hide their own human rights violations or to criticise others. One can say, the “universal reign of justice, so far as human rights go, seems immeasurably remote” (Best, 1995, p.793). This leads to the assumption more specialised and at the same time more independent bodies such as non‐governmental organisations would possibly be more powerful in promoting human rights. NGOs are highly involved in human rights matters by supplying information to the UN as well as investigating human rights violations and proposing topics. They also know about the important role the media can play and how to smartly use the media. Indeed, NGOs are the “engine for virtually every advance made by the United Nations in the field of human rights” (Gaer, 1995, p.389). Many governments, on the other hand, view NGOs with strong resentment. This is partly due to the fact that NGOs often consist of political oppositionists and exile activists (Gaer, 1995, p.395). NGOs are generally viewed as more unbiased than nation states and less led by economic or political interests. Davies (2010) here cites a former UN secretary‐general who claims international politics could never be free from state interests (p.452). This sounds plausible, yet prompts the question whether the task of an international organisation would not be to step away from state business and look at the bigger picture of world politics.
Chapter Summary
The essay has no separately titled chapters. It moves from a historical overview of international human rights to debates about universality, the UN’s institutional limitations and the roles of states and non-governmental actors.
Keywords
human rights, United Nations, universality, human dignity, Human Rights Council, Commission on Human Rights, state interests, international governance, non-governmental organisations, human rights enforcement, polycentric governance, cultural relativism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the essay about?
It examines the UN’s role in promoting human rights and the reasons its human rights agenda is limited.
What are its main themes?
The essay discusses the history and universality of human rights, UN institutions, state interests and the roles of non-governmental actors.
What is the central research question?
The essay asks why the UN human rights agenda is limited despite the claimed universality of human rights and their importance to international peace and security.
What method does the author use?
The author develops an argumentative essay based on published scholarship and UN material. No original survey, interviews or experiment are described.
What does the main discussion cover?
It traces the development of international human rights, considers cultural objections to universality and discusses institutional and political constraints on implementation.
Which keywords characterise the essay?
Key terms include human rights, universality, human dignity, the Human Rights Council, non-governmental organisations and polycentric governance.
How does the essay discuss the UN Human Rights Council?
It considers the Council’s creation as the successor to the Commission on Human Rights, including changes to meetings, membership and peer review.
What role do non-governmental organisations play in the discussion?
They are discussed as sources of information, investigators of violations and participants in international human rights advocacy.
What governance approach does the essay consider?
It discusses Ruggie’s polycentric governance approach, which involves cooperation among actors with different roles and obligations.
- Quote paper
- Katherine Kretshmer (Author), 2015, Why is the UN Human Rights agenda so limited?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/378108
