The European Union (EU) is one of the main global actors in promoting human rights. Values such as freedom, democracy, dignity, equality and fundamental human rights are not only embedded in the treaties which all EU member states approved voluntarily, but a separate Charter codifying certain political, economic and social rights for all EU citizens has been adopted in 2000 and is legally binding for all EU member states since 2009. Given that all EU member states are already part of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the EU Charter offers an extra layer of protection and promotion of human rights by obliging the organs of the EU to actively engage in the fulfillment of this goal and establishes an additional mode of enforcement.
Most states are bound to several mechanisms that promote and protect human rights (United Nations Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ECHR, African Charter on Human Rights, American Charter on Human Rights and many more). The existence of numerous binding and non-binding treaties and regimes that all have the same objective, namely protecting certain fundamental human rights, shows on the one hand how important the issue is and that this importance is recognized worldwide, but on the other hand it reveals that the infringement of human rights is frequent. It would not be necessary to bind states to ever more regimes if they complied to the already existing ones and perfectly respected human rights.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Mapping Orchestration
3. Conclusion
4. Sources
Research Objectives and Topics
This paper examines how the European Union addresses the compliance gap in human rights protection by shifting from traditional hierarchical governance to an orchestration model, specifically focusing on the role of intermediaries like "Protect Defenders" to influence state behavior.
- Analysis of the compliance gap in international human rights regimes
- Evaluation of the Orchestrator-Intermediary-Target (O-I-T) governance model
- Assessment of the European Union's strategy to protect human rights defenders
- Examination of layered, multi-actor systems in global governance
Excerpt from the Book
Mapping Orchestration
In order to speak of orchestration, we need to identify a situation where an actor cannot reach its goal to influence the behavior of a target state and provide public goods by its own and therefore engages with one or several intermediaries that share the same goal. The above outlined governance problem fits perfectly into this scheme. “Support for human rights defenders (HRDs) is an integral part of the European Union's external policy on human rights” (European Commission). Despite various treaties on the matter, including the Guidelines for Human Rights Defenders adopted by the EU in 2004, HRDs are in danger worldwide and violations of their rights are frequent (Freedom House, 2017). Apparently, the EU is not able to achieve their goal by itself, which is why it established through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) the defense mechanism Protect Defenders.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter highlights the compliance gap regarding human rights treaties and introduces the shift from traditional hierarchical governance models to orchestration.
2. Mapping Orchestration: This section applies the O-I-T model to the EU's protection of human rights defenders, identifying the EU as the orchestrator and various NGOs as intermediaries.
3. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes that the EU’s use of indirect, soft governance through intermediaries successfully bypasses state resistance to address human rights compliance.
4. Sources: This section lists the academic and institutional references used to support the analysis of global governance and human rights.
Keywords
Orchestration, European Union, Human Rights, Compliance Gap, Governance, Intermediaries, Protect Defenders, O-I-T Model, Civil Society, Human Rights Defenders, International Relations, Soft Governance, Hierarchy, Delegation, Accountability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
This paper explores how the European Union manages the challenge of enforcing human rights compliance among member states by employing a multi-actor "orchestration" governance strategy.
What are the central themes of the research?
The central themes include the limitations of hierarchical governance, the role of non-state actors as intermediaries, and the protection of human rights defenders as a key instrument for policy implementation.
What is the primary objective of the study?
The primary goal is to demonstrate that the EU’s current mode of human rights engagement constitutes orchestration and to refine the existing O-I-T (Orchestrator-Intermediary-Target) model by identifying a layered structure of actors.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The author uses a qualitative analysis approach, applying the theoretical O-I-T model developed by scholars like Abbott et al. to a specific case study of EU foreign policy.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body investigates the mechanisms of "Protect Defenders," the identification of first-level and second-level intermediaries, and how these entities interact to create pressure on states to respect human rights.
Which keywords characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as Orchestration, Compliance Gap, European Union, and Human Rights Defenders.
How does the EU act as an "orchestrator" in this context?
The EU acts as an orchestrator by providing normative guidance through guidelines and financial assistance to independent NGOs, which then facilitate the protection of human rights defenders without direct EU control over the daily operations.
Why are human rights defenders considered a "third-level intermediary"?
Human rights defenders are categorized as a third-level intermediary because they serve as tools for strengthening civil society, which in turn exerts pressure on national governments to adhere to international human rights standards.
What distinguishes orchestration from delegation?
Orchestration is distinguished by its "soft" nature; unlike delegation, where a principal delegates specific tasks to an agent, the orchestrator lacks formal control over the intermediaries and the support provided is not strictly linked to predefined, narrow tasks.
- Citar trabajo
- Felina Wittke (Autor), 2017, Governance in a multi-actor system. Enforcing human rights through orchestration, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/424029
