Health and Human Rights

Question 1

What are the different ways of measuring development?

Answer 1

GDP per Capita

Gini Coefficient

HDI

Happy Planet Index (HPI)

Question 2

Why could intervention by the national government be used as a sign of development? Give an example of where this happened

Answer 2

In a developed country, often the needs of the people are a priority and the national government plays a huge role in managing social issues such as poverty and unemployment

Whereas in less developed nations the government is often too corrupt or doesn’t have the capital to do these things

e.g Evo Morales in Bolivia, reduced poverty and improved economic growth

Question 3

What is Human capital?

Answer 3

Skills of the population: economic, political, cultural or social skills

Question 4

Why is education important for development?

Answer 4

Provides people with skills and creates a skilled workforce which allows a country to develop economically

Question 5

Why is there a gender imbalance the number of unschooled people in the world?

Answer 5

56% of unschooled people are women

This is because in some countries, especially Arab nations, women have fewer rights so don’t attend school

Question 6

What factors can influence health and life expectancy?

Answer 6

Differences in lifestyles (smoking, alcohol, diet)

Levels of deprivation

Access to healthcare (vaccinations, regular check-ups)

Question 7

Why does health and life expectancy vary across Africa?

Answer 7

Some countries like Kenya and Tanzania were able to improve their economies after debts were cancelled in 2005

However, others still struggle with corruption, high mortality rates and access to food and clean water

Question 8

Compare and contrast social factors in two African nations with varying health and life expectancy

Answer 8

DRC. Algeria

GDP $800 per capita. Rapidly increasing GDP
L.E - 56 years 76 years
Worlds lowest HDI HDI of 0.736, Africas highest
40% children forced to work little child labour

Question 9

What was the trend in health and life expectancy in the developed world over the last 30 years?

Answer 9

Life expectancy and healthcare have continued to increase and levels of infant mortality continue to fall

However, variations still exist due to cultural and lifestyle differences as well as differences in spending

The more a country spends, the better the healthcare is.
However, the USA has the highest spending on healthcare globally yet ranks 30th for infant mortality rate.

Question 10

Describe and explain the regional differences in life expectancy in the UK

Answer 10

Life expectancy is lowest in North-East and North-West, this is due to a higher proportion of people smoking and high alcohol consumption

Life expectancy is highest in the South-East and South-West as spending on fresh farm foods is higher so diet is better.

Question 11

Where does Australia rank in the world for life expectancy?

Answer 11

One of the highest

Question 12

What is the life expectancy in Australia?

Answer 12

over 80 years

one of only 7 countries with life expectancy over 80

Question 13

Describe differences in life expectancy among different populations in Australia?

Answer 13

Despite the life expectancy being so high, the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander (ATSI) people have some social indicators as low as sub-Saharan Africas

They have higher levels of Smoking, deprivation, alcohol abuse, disease and injury as well as a lower life expectancy (71 years, over 10 years less than national average)

Question 14

Give an example of a country with very high social development

Answer 14

France

one of the highest levels of government spending (56% of GDP)

Majority of healthcare is state funded

High welfare and pension payments

High education spending (£8500 per student per year)

Question 15

Give an example of a country that is very economically developed but has low social development

Answer 15

Saudi Arabia

Ruled by the elite royal family

Very strong economy due to the oil industry

Very high-quality healthcare and 80% state-funded

Education standards are low and so managerial jobs are taken by overseas employees

Question 16

What is Neo-liberalism?

Answer 16

The process of opening up free trade markets in order to try and improve economic development

Many argue it is not in the best interest of developing nations as it allows TNCs to exploit them for natural resources.

Question 17

What are the MDG’s and when were they introduced?

Answer 17

The Millennium Development Goals, aim to reduce the number of people living in poverty and reduce inequality all over the world

Introduced in 2000

Question 18

Have the MDG’s been achieved?

Answer 18

Number of people in extreme poverty has fallen by 56%

Rate of child mortality has fallen by 50%

Improvements in girls attendance at primary school

Increase in number of women in parliament in 90% of countries

2.1 billion people have improved sanitation

Yes there have been improvements however there is still a lot more that can be done

Question 19

What are the SDG’s and when were they introduced?

Answer 19

Sustainable development goals, they aim to end poverty for all by 2030 and focus on ways to economically develop while addressing health and tackling climate change

introduced in 2015

Question 20

What is the ECHR and when was it introduced?

Answer 20

European Convention on Human Rights

Consists of 14 articles protecting a range of human rights

Though it itself is not legally binding it is now included in the laws of 47 countries.

Enables human rights cases to be heard at national courts

Introduced in 1950

Question 21

What is the UDHR and when was it introduced?

Answer 21

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Signed in 1948, outlines 30 basic human rights that everyone is entitled to

It is not legally binding however it formed the basis for other bills that were legally binding

was signed by 48 countries in 1948, now many more have signed

Question 22

Give an example of a country that chose not to sign the UDHR and why?

Answer 22

South Africa

Wanted to protect its apartheid system which violated many of the human rights outlined in the UDHR

Question 23

What year did Britain introduce the Human Rights Act?

Answer 23

1998

Question 24

What are the benefits of the UK’s Human Rights Act?

Answer 24

Makes human rights legally enforceable

HR cases can be heard in British courts instead of European ones

Requires all public bodies and private organisations to treat everyone equally

Ensures new laws passed by parliament are compatible with the ECHR

Question 25

Why do some people disagree with the UK's Human Rights Act?

Answer 25

Believe that it is affecting British sovereignty by making them more Eurocentric British courts are bound by decisions made by European courts

Question 26

Was the UK's Human Rights Act relevant during the Iraq war?

Answer 26

There was much debate about if the Human Rights Act applied to the actions of the British soldiers in Iraq There were allegations of British soldiers subjecting Iraqis to beatings and interrogation £20 million was paid in compensation for 326 cases of alleged abuse in Iraq

Question 27

What is the Geneva convention?

Answer 27

A body of rules used to protect civilians and those no longer fighting during a conflict Nearly all the countries in the world have signed it They are often used to determine what constitutes a 'War Crime'

Question 28

What are some criticisms of the Geneva Convention?

Answer 28

Violations rarely go to trial 141 countries (including the USA, at Guantanamo bay) are reported to still use torture Many claim the convention is being violated by both sides in the Syrian War Therefore, many question its effectiveness

Question 29

Give an example of when a war crime was successfully prosecuted

Answer 29

Radovan Karadzic Former Bosnia Serb leader was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity for his actions in the Yugoslav wars

Question 30

Give an example of a country that prioritises mainly human rights

Answer 30

USA Promotes human rights in the UN Human Rights Council 2015-2016 it supported resolutions to focus on HR in Syria, Burundi and Yemen Drew attention to HR abuses in Cambodia However, many believe that their actions for human rights have ulterior motives like securing oil in Syria

Question 31

Give an example of a country that promotes Economic development over Human Rights

Answer 31

Singapore Has one of the world's highest GDP per capita due to lots of overseas trade The government claims the reason for this is 'preserving order' It limits rights like freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and freedom of the press Uses capital punishment and the death penalty, and has issues around human trafficking

Question 32

Describe the government system in China and their policies on Human Rights

Answer 32

Single-party authoritarian state, governed by the Chinese Communist Party No general elections The president holds all political power Government limits freedom of expression, association, assembly and religion Argues that HR are western ideas and threaten power More recently, better education and wealth have led to calls for more freedom

Question 33

Describe the government system in India and their policies on Human Rights

Answer 33

Democratic system made up of individual states and the Lower House of Parliament They protect human rights such as freedom of preach, religion and society Despite significant progress, many are still concerned about inequalities in gender, disability and discrimination

Question 34

Name an international NGO that aim to tackle corruption

Answer 34

Transparency International

Question 35

What is the name of the index that measures Corruption?

Answer 35

Corruption perception index (CPI)

Question 36

Which countries are most and least corrupt according to the CPI?

Answer 36

Least: ``` Denmark Finland Sweden New Zealand UK ``` Most: ``` Somalia North Korea Haiti Afghanistan Iraq ```

Question 37

What were ATSI people subject to before 1967?

Answer 37

Not considered Australian citizens Not allowed to vote Forced to live in reservations Could have their children forcibly removed to be raised in white-run institutions

Question 38

What is the Australian government doing to protect the rights ATSI people?

Answer 38

Preventing racial discrimination - especially in workplace and access to services Advocating social justice - Maintains their right to a cultural identity

Question 39

Describe some of the differences in health and education between ATSI people and other Australians

Answer 39

Life expectancy is 10 years lower Higher levels of drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness and are more likely to smoke 15x more likely to go to prison More people lack basic literacy skills (30% of adult ATSI population were lacking)

Question 40

What was the name of the initiative started by the Australian government to improve ATSI equality?

Answer 40

Closing the Gap initiative

Question 41

Has the 'Closing the Gap' initiative been effective?

Answer 41

Pros: The life expectancy gap reduced by 0.8 years for men ATSI deaths from circulatory disease fell by 45% ATSI infant mortality rate fell by 64% Cons: The life expectancy gap for women only closed by 0.1 years Avoidable deaths for ATSI were still 3x higher than other Australians ATSI deaths from respiratory disease only fell by 27%

Question 42

What is R2P?

Answer 42

Responsibility to Protect Means that if a country fails to protect its own people then it is the role of the international community to intervene

Question 43

What are the 4 forms of intervention?

Answer 43

Development aid Trade Embargoes Military Aid Military Action

Question 44

What is Development Aid?

Answer 44

Money given to developing countries to help them to develop Mostly comes from developed countries (e.g USA), IGO's (e.g IMF) or NGOs

Question 45

What are the two types of development aid?

Answer 45

Bi-lateral - Directly from one country to another Multi-lateral - From donor nation to IGO, the IGO then distributes that to appropriate nations

Question 46

What are trade embargoes?

Answer 46

A ban that restricts trade It encourages a country to change its actions Usually implemented in response to a threat to international security or human rights abuses In 2017, UK had arms embargoes on 17 countries

Question 47

What is Military aid?

Answer 47

Aid given as money, weapons or expertise to help a country defend itself Charities worry that less money is being given to fight poverty and more to fight wars USA is the biggest contributor, often to protect US interests

Question 48

What are the two types of Military Action give examples?

Answer 48

Direct intervention - air strikes and ground troops. In 2003 USA and UK took direct action against Saddam Hussein in Iraq Indirect Military Action - Providing military assistance. 2017, UK trained Nigerian forces to provide security

Question 49

Why is there often conflict between a countries national sovereignty and the UNs R2P?

Answer 49

National sovereignty is the idea that a country has the right to govern its own people However, when they are governing in a way that is causing human rights abuses the R2P infringes their national sovereignty to benefit the people

Question 50

Give an example of where there was tension between national sovereignty and R2P

Answer 50

Libya Colonel Gaddafi's government were committing human rights abuses The government failed to meet its responsibility to protect its citizens so UK and French forces intervened

Question 51

What are the two types of development aid?

Answer 51

Charitable gifts - funded through public donations or government funding. Can be both bilateral and multilateral Loans - Provided by IGOs like World Bank and IMF. Can be used to build infrastructure, fight corruption and manage resources. Often come with SAPs which determine what it can be spent on

Question 52

What are the positive and negative impacts of ODA in recent years?

Answer 52

Positive: Healthcare aid (especially vaccination programmes) has almost eradicated some diseases e.g polio ODA has helped to provide mosquito nets to many African countries. Infection rate fell by 37% and mortality by 60% Gender equality is improving in many countries but not all Negatives: Much aid is lost to corruption Aid can be used by political elites to ensure they remain in power, such as Zimbabwe's President Mugabe They can become aid-dependent which is bad for the countries development in the long run

Question 53

Give an example of where Development aid projects have caused environmental damage

Answer 53

Nigeria's Niger Delta Discovery of large oil reserves here led to the exploitation by TNC's such as Shell Oil spills are common, in 2014 there were 550 spills which polluted soil and water Burning off of natural gas during oil extraction causes acid rain which kills plants

Question 54

Why is it often difficult to justify military intervention and what do most countries use as their reason? use an example

Answer 54

It must be seen as both justified and proportionate by the international community otherwise it may be seen as a threat to international security It is easier to justify on the ground of protecting human rights Libya 2011, military intervention from UK and USA was justified due to the human rights abuses. However many argue that they actually just wanted to secure oil supplies

Question 55

Describe the argument on countries sending military aid to nations with poor human rights records

Answer 55

Supporters: Stopping the aid would threaten global security Stopping the aid would not stop the human rights abuses They can pressure the recipient nations with conditions on the aid Critics: The donor nations care more about the trade than the human rights Ignoring human rights abuses condones them Supporting a repressive government is wrong The aid could be used to commit further abuses

Question 56

Give an example of a country that USA gives aid to despite poor human rights

Answer 56

Colombia One of the biggest recipients of US military aid, $10 billion between 2000 and 2015 Has poor human rights with reports of torture being used by the military USA argues that the aid helps to fight militant groups and drug trafficking USA imposes human rights conditions on the aid NGOs argue they only withhold a small amount of the aid if the conditions are not met

Question 57

What is the 'War on Terror'?

Answer 57

After 9/11 President Bush declared the war on terror to protect the USA and its allies from terrorist attacks Bush sent troops into Iraq and Afghanistan, claiming they were the ones who supported terrorism (despite many thinking the 9/11 attackers were Saudi) Protecting human rights was also used as the USA and UK showed satellite images of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) saying that they threatened global security. No WMDs were ever found in either country

Question 58

What is extraordinary rendition?

Answer 58

A technique that the USA use to get around laws on using torture in interrogation Involves transferring suspects abroad (to Cuba) to interrogate them in secrecy

Question 59

What is Guantanamo Bay?

Answer 59

A US Military camp in Cuba Since the war in Afghanistan it has been used to hold suspects in the 'War on Terror' The US have been accused of using torture there The US claims it uses 'enhanced interrogation techniques'

Question 60

Why is it difficult to measure the success of interventions?

Answer 60

Success has varying defintions Some countries cannot collect data accurately Interventions can span many years (e.g the MDGs) and improvements may have been made naturally External factors (e.g food prices) can affect outcomes Data outcomes are interpreted differently by different people

Question 61

What are geopolitical interventions?

Answer 61

Interventions using global policies and trade e.g the MDGs

Question 62

Why do many countries and IGOs believe democracy to be an important goal of intervention?

Answer 62

It leaves to other socio-economic changes Countries become less willing to support criminal organisations It is easier for military and economic ties to be formed Countries are less likely to go to war

Question 63

What is Democracy aid?

Answer 63

Aid is given to try and promote democracy in a nation Supports fair elections and the development of political parties Strengthens government institutions like parliament Defends civil and political rights

Question 64

What is freedom of expression and why is it important in promoting democracy?

Answer 64

A fundamental right outlined by the UDHR Gives the right to speak freely Enables people to criticise the government and leaders It is a cornerstone of democracy as people must be allowed to make decisions and speak about the different parties freely to make a decision

Question 65

What are the different ways of measuring success of interventions?

Answer 65

Democracy Economic Development Social improvements

Question 66

Why is economic growth a factor in the success of interventions?

Answer 66

It shows that there have been improvements in trade Economic growth is the foundation for many social improvements as well as it provides jobs, increases wages and reduces poverty

Question 67

Give examples of where intervention has led to economic growth

Answer 67

South Korea and Singapore both used to receive US aid, they are now both beneficial trading partners with the US China's aid to sub-Saharan Africa has resulted in higher rates of employment and economic growth

Question 68

What is 'Aid for Trade'?

Answer 68

A WTO initiative to help developing nations improve their trade Helps them to: Develop trade strategies Negotiate better deals Build infrastructure such as roads and communications

Question 69

Give an example of a country where 'Aid for Trade" was successful

Answer 69

Uganda in 2013, 48% of their ODA was 'aid for trade' ``` In the same year, Uganda's: Exports increased by 144% GDP per capita doubled poverty dropped by 10% life expectancy rose by 12 years infant mortality fell from 86 per 1000 to 38 HDI rose from 0.393 to 0.483 ```

Question 70

Give an example of successful development aid

Answer 70

West Africa, Ebola outbreak First cases recorded in 2014 in 21 months, 28,000 cases recorded with 11,300 deaths WHO declared it an emergency and sent in teams of health workers UN Security Council held a rare emergency meeting to assess it Long-term development aid funded general health services by Jan 2016, the WHO declared it disease-free

Question 71

Give an example of failed development aid

Answer 71

Haiti Haiti is vulnerable to natural hazards, has high levels of poverty and relies on aid One of the world poorest and worst governed countries Jobs are done by aid workers and not local people, so government systems are weak Skilled locals work for NGOs rather than Haitian organisations Corrupt government steal aid money Has a very high Gini Coefficient meaning it is very unequal Economic development has been small despite the amount of aid

Question 72

Give an example of a country where aid actually increased inequality

Answer 72

Bangladesh Happens because: Corruption by the political elite Countries act in their own interest and decide how and where to spend aid Aid agencies favour large projects due to publicity rather than smaller more effective projects

Question 73

How might countries use development to promote their foreign policy, give examples?

Answer 73

To develop military alliances - Jordan received $750 million in return for support against IS To access resources - China has provided aid for the development of infrastructure in Zambia and Tanzania so it can access more resources To gain political support in IGOs and NGOs - India wants a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, it directs FDI to nations who may support them

Question 74

What are the socio-economic and political costs of direct military intervention?

Answer 74

Leads to loss of life on both sides Leads to physical and mental injuries High economic costs. Iraq war cost $2 trillion People can lose faith in government. Tony Blair lost his reputation after the UK's role in the Iraq war

Question 75

What were the aims of the Iraq war?

Answer 75

Remove dictator Saddam Hussein Protect civilians from Saddam Hussein's rumoured WMD's Prevent Human rights abuses

Question 76

What were the benefits of the Iraq war?

Answer 76

Saddam Hussein was removed from power Early development efforts succeeded US-funded vaccination programme reduced infant mortality by 75% Iraq held its first free election in over 50 years

Question 77

What were the negatives of the Iraq war?

Answer 77

No traces of WMD's were found Iraq was left with no real systems to restore order and democracy, protect human rights and grow economically Islamist militant groups took advantage of instability Animosity between Sunni and Shia muslims has worsened Corruption has worsened Human rights still remain a huge issue, many argue they have worsened

Question 78

What are the improvements for human rights often like over time after direct military intervention/

Answer 78

Often see short term improvements when an oppressive regime is removed However, without proper systems to develop afterwards political instability leaves a power vaccum This is often filled by extremist groups leading to even worsened human rights in the long term Short term improvements, long term failure

Question 79

Give an example of a successful non-military intervention

Answer 79

Timor-Leste Was a Portuguese colony until it declared independence in 1975, 9 days later it was invaded by Indonesia The UN tried to resolve this but anti-independence militia killed 7,000 people and displaced 40,000 To pressurise Indonesia, arms embargoes were put in place by UK and USA and Indonesia withdrew UN took control and put in place structures to maintain law and order and promote development. In 2002 Timor-Leste became fully self-sufficient and independent

Question 80

Give an example of the impacts of no military action

Answer 80

Rwanda was seen as not worth intervening as it was thought that the unrest could be contained by the government A civil war broke out and led to the genocide of 800,000 Rwandans in only 3 months This left the country decimated and very unskilled Critics argue if the international community had responded earlier and had intervened then the genocide could have been prevented