ULUSLARARASI POLİTİKA

They emphasize the freedom of personal immunity (the restrictions of personal immunity)

They emphasize the need for states to take on various responsibilities (positive status rights)

They emphasize to strengthen social and economic conditions (positive status rights)

They guarantee the extension of the rights to vote and to be elected (active status rights)

The World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993, emphasized issues such as the universal issue of human rights, the indivisibility of rights and women’s rights, as well as being a first conference in the post-Cold War era.

However, human rights gain its present meaning throughout the modern times. It is the result of a nearly three centuries of struggle that started with the English Revolution and continued with the American and French Revolutions.

Founding fathers played an important role in establishing confederacy and forming a constitution in the United States. Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Adams, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington are called as the founding fathers.

In this context, it is important to mention the names ranging from Hugo Grotius to John Locke who are nourished from the teaching of natural rights. English Enlightenment and, especially, John Locke, have an undeniable value in terms of liberal human rights, which is worth to mention here.

In spite of all these steps, the geostrategic necessities of the bipolar world during the Cold War prevented international initiatives on human rights from being effectively put in place. In other words, the overriding of security in the security-freedom balance prevented to take steps in the name of liberties in these years. However, it is possible to talk about some exceptional initiatives as a product of the détente period during the Cold War. In this context, a move that needs to be underlined has been the Helsinki Final Act which includes regulations about human rights, and to which Soviet and the US are involved as parties.

For example, the European Union effectively implements this principle in the process of membership, while encouraging candidate members to take steps in line with democratization and human rights.

Indeed, the main reason to start with the UN as a significant international organization for the issue of human rights is the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR)”. As it is evident from its name, the Declaration ensures the protection of human rights universally, in other words, it includes common principles to be achieved universally by the humanity. These principles are generally indicated under the preamble of the UNDHR.

Founded in 1949, the Council of Europe aims to provide justice and international cooperation in terms of a closer unity, to promote democracy through the protection of individual freedom, political liberty, and the rule of law, and also to facilitate economic and social progress of its member states.

Human rights in international relations are generally evaluated under the heading of normative theories. Normative theories that incorporate valuable concepts such as justice and ethics, argue that theories must be the catalyst of change beyond simple descriptions There is no doubt that normative theory interacts with many different approaches. However, it can be argued that it has special ties with the theoretical approach known as English School.

Active status rights, include both the guarantee and the extension of the rights to vote and to be elected. In other words, these are the rights that enable political participation.

The World Conference on Human Rights was held in Vienna in 1993 and emphasized issues such as the universal issue of human rights, the indivisibility of rights and women’s rights, as well as being a first conference in the post-Cold War era.

John Locke is a philosopher and one of the most important figures of English enlightenment. Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Adams, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington are called as the founding fathers.

The International Working Group was establishd in 1919.

The UN was established in 1945.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was announced in 1948.

The Council of Europe was founded in 1949.

The International Criminal  Court was created in 1998.

The Human Right Council is among the charter-based bodies that support OHCHR.

The charter-based bodies that support the OHCHR are Human Right Council, Universal Periodic Review, Commission on Human Rights, Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, and Human Rights Council Complaint Procedure.

Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is among the treaty-based bodies that support OHCHR.

The treaty based bodies that support the OHCHR are Human Right Council, Universal Periodic Review, Commission on Human Rights, Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, and Human Rights Council Complaint Procedure.

Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization with members from 216 countries.

Human Rights Watch was established in 1978.

Human right issues do not hold an important place in Realism. 

Normative Theory, Liberalism, Constructivism, and English School provide an account for human rights issues in international politics.

The English School was initially led by names such as Hedley Bull, Martin Wight Adam Watson and R. J. Vincent.