un and human rights Flashcards
League of Nations (1919):
After World War I, the League of Nations was created to help prevent future wars and encourage countries to work together.
It had a system called mandates where strong countries were given responsibility to look after weaker ones that couldn’t rule themselves yet.
Although the League of Nations failed to prevent WWII, it was an important step toward international cooperation and peace, inspiring the creation of the more powerful and successful UN.
it failed back of lack of power, didn’t stop WWII, but it did help set up the UN.
United Nations (1945):
The United Nations (UN) was created after World War II to stop wars and protect human rights all over the world.
The idea behind the UN was to prevent the horrible things that happened during the war, like the treatment of people by Hitler and Japan.
Human rights were meant to protect people from things like war, not just to ensure equality between groups in each country.
Human Rights and India’s Push in the UN (1946):
In 1946, India asked the UN to take action against how Indians were treated in South Africa. South Africa didn’t want the UN involved, but in the end, the UN took action and condemned the mistreatment.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948):
In 1948, the UN created a list of basic rights all humans should have, called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Two important Covenants (or agreements) were created in 1966 to make these rights legally binding for the countries that agreed to them.
so it was not legally binding up until 1966 as it was just a guideline and aspiration.
After 1966, with the creation of the ICCPR and the ICESCR, human rights became legally binding for countries that ratified the Covenants.
UN and Human Rights Today:
The UN today works through offices like the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to monitor and promote human rights across the world.
The Human Rights Council is a group of countries that works together to protect human rights, and they hold countries accountable if they are violating rights.
Independent International Commission of Inquiry on SYRIA (2011)
background: In Syria, when the UN Security Council didn’t take action during the crisis, the Human Rights Council (HRC) set up an independent group to investigate and pass information to European courts.
Set up by the UN to investigate human rights abuses in Syria during the civil war.
Its goal: document violations, identify responsible parties, and report findings to the UN.
Helped raise global awareness, gather evidence for accountability, and support international legal action.
While it didn’t stop the war, it highlighted the severity of the crisis and contributed to efforts for justice.
In 2020, Germany hosted the first trial for Syrian war crimes. A Syrian official, Anwar Raslan, was put on trial in Germany for his role in torturing and killing detainees while working as a senior official in Syria’s intelligence service. The trial was significant because it marked the first time a high-ranking Syrian official faced justice in Europe for human rights abuses committed during the Syrian conflict.
This trial was based on universal jurisdiction, which allows countries to prosecute crimes like torture and crimes against humanity, even if they were committed in other countries.
GermanyS Role: In 2002, Germany made a law that allowed their courts to try serious crimes, even if the crime happened in another country, or the people involved weren’t German.
Outcome: In 2022, Germany convicted a Syrian intelligence officer for crimes against humanity based on evidence from this investigation.
Independent International Commission of Inquiry on UKRAINE (2022)
background:
After Russias invasion of Ukraine, the Human Rights Council set up a similar investigation to look into human rights violations and war crimes.
Findings: They found that Russia army was responsible for most of the violations, including war crimes, especially in areas like Kyiv and Kharkiv.
purpose:The Commission’s main job is to document and investigate any violations of human rights (like killings, torture, or attacks on civilians) and war crimes that have happened since the war started in February 2022.
How It Works:The Commission collects evidence by talking to survivors, victims, and witnesses.It also looks at photos, videos, and other documents to understand what happened.
Goal:The Commission reports its findings to the UN and helps hold accountable those responsible for the violations. It doesnt have the power to arrest people, but it provides evidence that could be used in international courts like the International Criminal Court (ICC).
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Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
What It Is:
The UPR is a process where every UN member country is checked every 4.5 years to see how well they are following human rights laws.
Ireland’s Findings: For example, Ireland was criticized for:
Not fully investigating past abuses in places like Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes.
Human rights issues in global businesses operating in Ireland.
Not doing enough for victims of trafficking or domestic violence.
UN Special Procedures
What They Do:
These are independent experts who focus on human rights issues in specific countries or on broader themes, like climate change or torture.
TASKS:
They:
Visit countries.
Investigate specific human rights violations.
Make recommendations for improvement.
Examples:
North Korea: Experts are concerned about people being sent back to North Korea, where they might face severe punishment.
Russia: Russia is criticized for restricting freedoms like speech and assembly, cracking down on human rights defenders, and limiting independent media.
Human Rights and the UN Today
Universal Rights:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) says that all people have basic rights, like the right to life, education, work, and health.
The UN’s Role: The UN works through bodies like the Human Rights Council and Special Procedures to make sure countries follow these rights and hold them accountable when they violate them.
Key Principle: Human rights are universal, meaning they apply to everyone, everywhere, and no government can take them away.
Conclusion
The UN has systems to protect human rights around the world, such as commissions of inquiry, regular reviews of countries’ human rights records, and special experts who investigate abuses. All of these are part of making sure that human rights are protected globally.
In short: The UN is working hard to make sure everyone is treated fairly and their rights are respected, even when countries don’t want to take action on their own.
