Today, people talk about third generation rights such as the right to a healthy environment, peace and solidarity.
The formulation of the concept of human rights, originating from the West, brought about the issue of universality of human rights, which sometimes generated protests from the Arab world and China. An Islamic Human Rights Declaration and an African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights seem to be part of this process. However, the universality of principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is generally accepted.
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« Resolution 1325 raised a great deal of hope at the time of its adoption - the hope of having eventually found an instrument which will make it possible to effectively and consistently adopt gender equity and equality perspectives in conflict resolution. This hope also formed the basis for the adoption of Resolutions 1820, 1888 and 1889 by the United Nations Security Council, as they all focused on the effective mainstreaming of women's rights in efforts aimed at establishing peace and security. » Said Djinniit, Special Representative of the Secretary General for West Africa. HUMAN RIGHTS AND TRADITIONAL LAW IN AFRICA It would be erroneous to think that the ancient African societies were unaware of human rights. Africa has age-old human rights traditions. In traditional Africa, the law was designed as rules intended to support and impose a claim. The law was inseparable from the idea of protection and of responsibility (Kéba MBAYE). In Africa, when an old man dies, it is a library (a monument of knowledge, wisdom) that burns. According to the Malinkés, « the foot marks of a slave cannot be distinguished from the foot marks of a free man ». The traditional law was viewed as an objective and process of liberation and reappraisal of customs and ancestral traditions; a means of humanising life and development in Africa for the restoration of the original role of the woman as a source and giver of life; the man as the protector and guardian of life; the child as a symbol of continuity and renewal of life and the old man as a symbol of the sacredness and immortality of life. |