Resources: Human Rights

HUMAN RIGHTS

Resources page prepared by Geneviève Paul,
Bac. en Relations internationales et droit international (BRIDI), 3rd year, UQAM
Intern, The Rights & Democracy Network

News Instruments Documents Who is doing what Action area

Universal Declaration Of Human Rights www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/eng.htm

« Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. » (Article 22)

« Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized . » (Article 28)

News

Media Centre - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR)
http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/index2.htm
see OHCHR Newsletter " Respect"

In the news on HRI.ca -Human Rights Internet (HRI)
http://www.hri.ca/index.aspx

News - International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
http://www.fidh.org/_news.php3

News Amnesty- Amnesty International (AI)
http://news.amnesty.org/homepage

News Releases- Human Rights Watch (HRW)
http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=news

Listservs

Human Rights Watch Email list, HRW
http://www.hrw.org/act/subscribe-mlists/subscribe.htm

Instruments

International

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_cescr.htm

International Covenant on Civils and Political Rights (CCPR)
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_ccpr.htm

Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr-one.htm

Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty
http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr-death.htm

Regional

AFRICA – African Union (AU)

African Charter of Human and Peoples' Rights (Banjul Chart)
http://www.acdhrs.org/The_African_Charter.pdf

AMERICA – Organisation of American States (OAS)

American Convention on Human Rights
http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/Treaties/b-32.htm

EUROPE – Council of Europe

Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
http://www.echr.coe.int/Convention/webConvenENG.pdf

Documents

In Brief

What are civils and political rights?

Examples:

The right to life
The prohibition of torture
The prohibition of forced or compulsory labour
The right to liberty and security of person
The right to freedom of movement
The right to be equal before the courts and tribunals
The right to the protection of privacy
The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
The right to marry and to found a family
The right to acquire a nationality
The right to vote

What are economic, social and cultural rights?

Examples:

The right to work
The right to the enjoyment of just and favourable conditions of wor k
The right to form trade unions
The right to social security
The right to food
The right to health
The right to education
The right to take part in cultural life…

Publications

Human Rights Quaterly, Johns Hopkins University Press. All issues online :
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/human_rights_quarterly

Human Rights today: a United Nations priority, United Nations, 1998,
http://www.un.org/french/hr/HRToday/index.html

Fact Sheet No.16 (Rev.1) - The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
http://www.ohchr.org/english/about/publications/docs/fs16.htm

Rights and Democracy

Report of the Think Tank on « Strengthening the United Nations Mechanisms for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights », Rights and Democracy, 2001
http://www.dd-rd.ca/...

Data Bases

Treaty Body Database, Documents by treaty, UN
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf

Follow-up Response by State Party
General Comments
Concluding Observations/Comment s

Who is doing what ?

References Websites and Networks

Rights and Democracy Network
http://www.droitsdemocratie.net/

International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
http://www.escr-net.org/EngGeneral/home.asp

Human Rights Internet – Human Rights and Development
http://www.hri.ca/index.aspx

Asia Pacific Human Rights Network
http://www.aphrn.org/

Plataforma interamericana de derechos humanos, democracia y desarollo
http://www.pidhdd.org/ (available only in spanish)

Institutions / NGOs

International Federation for Human Rights, FIDH
http://www.fidh.org/_news.php3

Amnesty International, AI
http://www.amnesty.org/

Human Rights Watch, HRW
http://www.hrw.org/

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
http://www.ihf-hr.org/index.php

The African center for democracy and human rights studies
http://www.acdhrs.org/

Union Interafricaine des D roits de l’ H omme , U.I.D.H.
http://www.hri.ca/partners/uidh (available only in french)

Forum-Asia : Asian Forum for human rights and development
http://www.forumasia.org

United Nations

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNHCHR
http://www.ohchr.org/english/about/hc/index.htm

Human Rights Issues, UNHCHR
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/hrissues.htm

Commission on Human Rights, UNHCHR
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/index.htm

Human Rights Committee, UNHCHR
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/index.htm
Monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civils and Political Rights (CCPR) by its States parties

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, CESCR, UNHCHR
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cescr/index.htm
Body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by its States parties.