CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Human rights are inherent to every human being and they are universal; they are acquired at birth by every person.

They focus on the intrinsic dignity and the common value of all human beings

They are equal, indivisible and interdependent

They cannot be renounced; neither can an individual be deprived of them

They impose obligations, more importantly, on States and public authorities, in terms of action or omission

They are guaranteed at the international level

They are legally protected

They protect persons or groups of persons.

HUMAN RIGTS CHALLENGES AND CONSTRAINTS

Recurrent conflicts in the sub-region

Serious human rights violations in conflict situations

Lack of political will in terms of respect for and protection of human rights

Ignorance of the human rights instruments and texts

Low level of harmonisation of national legislation with regard to international standards

Poverty of the people and social inequalities

Some useful sources of information are listed below:

www.amnesty.org/fr : follow the link « Knowing human rights »

www.un.org/pubs/cyberschoolbus/ : this site is targeted at children and teenagers for purposes of appreciating human rights

www.ohchr.org/fr : follow the link « your human rights » to obtain information on international human rights instruments. Follow the link « Human rights bodies » « for information on Committees which monitor the implementation of human rights. You may also know which States have ratified the instruments and access the reports on the various countries.

HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS

Human rights standards are codified in the international, regional and national legal systems. These are functional and behavioural standards which State authorities and officials concerned must account for.

The international commitments of States are monitored by independent Experts’ Committees called « Treaty and Convention Monitoring Bodies ».

	CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN RIGHTS Human rights are inherent to every human being and they are universal; they are acquired at birth by every person. They focus on the intrinsic dignity and the common value of all human beings They are equal, indivisible and interdependent They cannot be renounced; neither can an individual be deprived of them They impose obligations, more importantly, on States and public authorities, in terms of action or omission They are guaranteed at the international level They are legally protected They protect persons or groups of persons. HUMAN RIGTS CHALLENGES AND CONSTRAINTS Recurrent conflicts in the sub-region Serious human rights violations in conflict situations Lack of political will in terms of respect for and protection of human rights Ignorance of the human rights instruments and texts Low level of harmonisation of national legislation with regard to international standards Poverty of the people and social inequalities Some useful sources of information are listed below: www.amnesty.org/fr : follow the link « Knowing human rights » www.un.org/pubs/cyberschoolbus/ : this site is targeted at children and teenagers for purposes of appreciating human rights www.ohchr.org/fr : follow the link « your human rights » to obtain information on international human rights instruments. Follow the link « Human rights bodies » « for information on Committees which monitor the implementation of human rights. You may also know which States have ratified the instruments and access the reports on the various countries. HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS Human rights standards are codified in the international, regional and national legal systems. These are functional and behavioural standards which State authorities and officials concerned must account for. The international commitments of States are monitored by independent Experts’ Committees called « Treaty and Convention Monitoring Bodies ».
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