Human rights are rights
inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex,
national or ethnic origin, co lour, religion, language, or any other status. We
are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These
rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.
Universal human rights are often expressed and guaranteed by law, in the forms
of treaties, customary international law , general principles and other sources
of international law. International human rights law lays down obligations of
Governments to act in certain ways or to refrain from certain acts, in order to
promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals or
groups.
Universal and inalienable
The principle of universality of human rights is the cornerstone of
international human rights law. This principle, as first emphasized in the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948, has been reiterated in numerous
international human rights conventions, declarations, and resolutions. The 1993
Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, for example, noted that it is the duty
of States to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms,
regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems.
All States have ratified at least one, and 80% of States have ratified four or
more, of the core human rights treaties, reflecting consent of States which
creates legal obligations for them and giving concrete expression to
universality. Some fundamental human rights norms enjoy universal protection by
customary international law across all boundaries and civilizations.
Human rights are inalienable. They should not be taken away, except in specific
situations and according to due process. For example, the right to liberty may
be restricted if a person is found guilty of a crime by a court of law.
Interdependent and indivisible
All human rights are indivisible, whether they are civil and political rights,
such as the right to life, equality before the law and freedom of expression;
economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to work, social
security and education , or collective rights, such as the rights to development
and self-determination, are indivisible, interrelated and interdependent. The
improvement of one right facilitates advancement of the others. Likewise, the
deprivation of one right adversely affects the others.
Equal and non-discriminatory
Non-discrimination is a cross-cutting principle in international human rights
law. The principle is present in all the major human rights treaties and
provides the central theme of some of international human rights conventions
such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women.
The principle applies to everyone in relation to all human rights and freedoms
and it prohibits discrimination on the basis of a list of non-exhaustive
categories such as sex, race, colour and so on. The principle of
non-discrimination is complemented by the principle of equality, as stated in
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are
born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
Both Rights and Obligations
Human rights entail both rights and obligations. States assume obligations and
duties under international law to respect, to protect and to fulfil human
rights. The obligation to respect means that States must refrain from
interfering with or curtailing the enjoyment of human rights. The obligation to
protect requires States to protect individuals and groups against human rights
abuses. The obligation to fulfil means that States must take positive action to
facilitate the enjoyment of basic human rights. At the individual level, while
we are entitled our human rights, we should also respect the human rights of
others.