Human Rites

Is There a Human Right to Democracy?

The Issue Of Human Rights In Africa

Human rights as a legal concept and codification of human dignity were late to arrive in Africa. Its evolution on this continent is to be seen against the background of the dynamic development of human rights within the United Nations system and that of international law, although the impetus of this evolution is owed to the struggles within African states in the pre-colonial, colonial and post-independence eras. Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, 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. 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 crosscutting 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. Human Rights as parts of moral discourse have significant implication on content of political, social and economic life of human beings.

Implementing Human Rights Through Administrative Law Reforms

This publication addresses itself to NGOs, government authorities and other institutions and organisations involved in development assistance and international co-operation concerning human rights, good governance, corruption control, and related issues.