Human Rights kya hai? (watch out the ABC of Human Rights)

Human Rights kya hai? (watch out the ABC of Human Rights)

Declaration of human rights

What are Human Rights?

■ Human Rights are moral claims which are inalienable and inherent to all individuals by virtue of their being humans alone.

History

■ Throughout history, there has been a conflict between ruling elite and ruled.

e.g. Magna Carta-England 1215.

■ French Declaration of Rights of Man and of Citizen-1789.

■ American Bill of Rights.

■ Since First World War, League of Nations took some initiative.

■ ILO was created in 1919.

■ International Slavery Convention was signed in 1926

■ But during 1920s and 30s massive abuse of human life and dignity based on race, religion and nationality were there.

■ UNO was established after World War II.

■ Art I of UN Charter: 'To achieve international co-operation in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedom for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.'

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

General Assembly of United Nations adopted and proclaimed Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948.

■ Art 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

■ Art 2: Everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, nation, property, birth or other status.

■ Art 3: Everyone has right to life, liberty and security of person.

■ Art 4: Slavery and slave trade is prohibited.

■ Art 5: No one shall be subject to torture.

■ Art 7: All are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.

■ Art 9: No one shall be subject to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

■ Art 15: Everyone has right to a nationality.

■ Art 18: Freedom of thought, conscience & religion.

■ Art 23: Right to work.

■ Art 26: Right to education.

Indian Constitution and Human Rights

■ Art 13: Boldly declares that all laws in so far they are inconsistent with Fundamental Rights, be void, to extent of inconsistency, and further State shall not make any law which takes away or abridges these rights and any law made in contravention, shall be void.

■ Art 14: Secures equality before law to all persons.

■ Art 15: Prohibits discrimination among citizens on ground of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.

■ Art 16: Ensures equal opportunity to them in matters of public employment.

■ Art 19: Assures freedom of speech and expression, right to assemble peacefully and without arms; to form association and unions; to move freely throughout territory of India; to reside and settle in any part of country, trade and business etc.

■ Art 21: Guarantees equal protection of law and prohibits deprivation of life and personal liberty.

■ Art 23: Prohibits traffic in human beings and forced labour.

■ Art 24: Prohibits child labour.

■ Art 25-30: Assures freedom of conscience and right to manage religious institutions; as well as makes provisions for protection of minorities and their places of worship and educational institutions.

■ Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) provides for a lot of social and economic benefits for citizens to be attained in future.

■ In addition to these, there are several laws of a reformative character like Employees State Insurance Acts, Dowry (Prohibition) Act, Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act, Minimum Wages Act, Workmen Compensation Act, Protection of Civil Rights Act, Environmental Protection Act, etc. which try to ensure safety and security against various evils.

National Human Rights Commission

■ In keeping with spirit of human rights movement all over world, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) came into existence in India through an Ordinance promulgated on 28th September 1993 by President of India.

■ However, soon Ordinance was replaced by a statute called Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 which came into force in 1994. This Act provides for setting up NHRC at Centre as well as one Commission each at State level.

■ National Human Rights Commission is designed to protect human rights, defined as "rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of individual guaranteed by Constitution or embodied in International covenant and which are enforceable by Courts in India" (Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993).

Composition

• NHRC consists of a Chairperson and four members, all of them being full-time members.

• Apart from these full-time members, Commission also has its deemed members as Chairpersons of National Commission for Minorities, National Commission for SCs & STs and National Commission for Women.

• multi-membership is intended to reinforce independence and impartiality of Commission. Of five members including Chairperson, three are to possess high level judicial background and remaining must have knowledge of or practical experience in matters relating to Human Rights.

• Chairperson must be no less than a former Chief Justice of India.

Functions

• It can intervene in any legal proceedings involving an allegation of violation of Human Rights.

• It can also, visit, with prior approval of State Government, any jail to study living conditions of inmates and make recommendations.

• It can review safeguards provided by or under Constitution or any law for protection of Human Rights and recommend measures for their effective implementation.

• Commission also reviews factors, including acts of terrorism, that inhibit enjoyment of Human Rights and recommends remedial measures.

• It also undertakes and promotes research in field of Human Rights.

• Finally, it encourages NGOs working in field of Human Rights.

Autonomy of Commission

• autonomy of Commission is derived from method of appointment of its members, their fixity of tenure, and statutory guarantees.

• Chairperson and members of Commission are appointed by President on basis of recommendations of a committee comprising Prime Minister as chairperson, Speaker of Lok Sabha, Home Minister, leaders of Opposition in LS and RS and Dy. Chairperson of RS as members.

Working of Commission

• Commission has all powers of a Civil Court.

• It has its own investigating staff for investigation into complaints of Human Rights violations.

• It is open to Commission to utilise services of any officer or investigation agency of Central Government or any State Government.

• Commission while inquiring into complaints of violations of human rights may call for information or report from Central Government or any State-Government, or any other authority or organisation subordinate thereto within such time as may be specified by it.

Commission may take any of following steps upon completion of an enquiry:

1. Where enquiry discloses Commission of violation of Human Rights or negligence in prevention of violation of Human Rights by a public servant, it may recommend to concerned Government or authority initiation of proceedings for prosecution or such other function.

2. Approach SC or HC concerned for such directions, orders, or writs as that court may deem necessary.

3. Recommend to concerned Government or authority for grant of such immediate interim relief to victim or members of his family.

authority or State Government or Some of Programmes and Human Rights issues taken up by Commission include:

• Review of Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929

• Protocols to Convention on Rights of Child

• Preventing Employment of Children by Government Servants: Amendment of Service Rules

• Abolition of Child Labour

• Guidebook for Media on Sexual Violence against Children

• Trafficking in Women and Children : Manual for Judiciary for Gender Sensitization

• Sensitization Program on Prevention of Sex Tourism and Trafficking

• Maternal Anaemia and Human Rights

• Rehabilitation of Destitute Women in Vrindavan

• Combating Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place

• Harassment of Women Passengers in Trains

• Abolition of Manual Scavenging

• Dalits issues including atrocities perpetrated on them

• Problems faced by Denotified and Nomadic Tribes

• Rights of Disabled

• Right to Health . HIV/AIDS

Central Government to whom Commission recommends for action has to indicate its comments/ action taken on report/recommendations of Commission within a period of one month in respect of general complaints and within a period of three months in respect of complaints relating to Armed Forces.

Related articles by Zemanta

• UN rights body approves US-Egypt free speech text (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Top authors donate stories for human rights anthology (guardian.co.uk)
• Water Should Be a Human Right (wired.com)
• A well-spring of human rights (guardian.co.uk)

 

UNGA

Posted by swapnil on 11:29 AM

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA / GA) is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation. Its powers are to oversee the budget of the United Nations, appoint the non-permanent members to the Security Council, receive reports from other parts of the United Nations and make recommendations in the form of General Assembly Resolutions.^[1] It has also established a wide number of subsidiary organs.

Subsidiary organs

The United Nations General Assembly building.

The General Assembly subsidiary organs are divided into five categories: committees (30 total, six main), commissions (seven), boards (six), councils and panels (five), working groups, and "other".

[edit]Committees

[edit]Main committees

The main committees are ordinally numbered, 1-6:

• The First Committee: Disarmament and International Security (DISEC)
• The Second Committee: Economic and Financial (ECOFIN)
• The Third Committee: Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian (SOCHUM)
• The Fourth Committee: Special Political and Decolonization (SPECPOL)
• The Fifth Committee: Administrative and Budgetary
• The Sixth Committee: Legal.

The roles of many of the main committees have changed over time. Until the late 1970s, the First Committee was the Political and Security Committee (POLISEC) and there was also a sufficient number of additional "political" matters that an additional, unnumbered main committee, called the Special Political Committee, also sat. The Fourth Committee formerly handled Trusteeship and Decolonization matters. With the decreasing number of such matters to be addressed as the trust territories attained independence and the decolonization movement progressed, the functions of the Special Political Committee were merged into the Fourth Committee during the 1990s.

Each main committee consists of all the members of the General Assembly. Each elects a chairman, three vice chairmen, and a rapporteur at the outset of each regular General Assembly session.

[edit]Other committees

These are not numbered. According to the General Assembly website, the most important are:

• Credentials Committee – This committee is charged with ensuring that the diplomatic credentials of all UN representatives are in order. The Credentials Committee consists of nine Member States elected early in each regular General Assembly session.
• General Committee – This is supervisory committee entrusted with ensuring that the whole meeting of the Assembly goes smoothly. The General Committee consists of the president and vice presidents of the current General Assembly session and the chairman of each of the six Main Committees.

Other committees of the General Assembly are enumerated in this list.

[edit]Commissions

There are seven commissions:

• Disarmament Commission, established by GA Resolution 502 (VI) and S-10/2
• International Civil Service Commission, established by GA Resolution 3357 (XXIX)
• International Law Commission, established by GA Resolution 174 (II)
• United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), established by GA Resolution 2205 (XXI)
• United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine, established by GA Resolution 194 (III)
• United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, established by GA Resolution 60/180 and UN Security Council Resolutions 1645 (2005) and 1646 (2005)]

Despite its name, the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was actually a subsidiary body of ECOSOC.

[edit]Boards

There are six boards.

Councils and panels The most important (as well as the newest) council is the United Nations Human Rights Council, which replaced the aforementioned UNCHR in March 2006.

There are a total of four councils and one panel.

[edit]Working Groups and other

There is a varied group of working groups and other subsidiary bodies.

Tuvalu

Tuvalu became the 189th member of the United Nations on September 5, 2000. The Prime Minister at the time of entry was the Hon. Ionatana Ionatana, who died in office shortly after, on December 8, 2000.

Tuvaluan flag at the UN	Late Hon. Ionatana Ionatana

Quick Facts: UN

Posted by swapnil on 10:42 PM

1. Membership: 192 Member States
   Established: 24 October 1945
   Secretariat staffing as of 30 June 2009 (Secretary-General's report "Composition of the Secretariat" [A/64/352] ): about 40,000
   Current UN peacekeeping operations: 16 
   Official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish.
   Information about the UN in other languages
   UN Observances - The first day approved by the UN General Assembly was United Nations Day, 24 October (by resolution 168 (II) of 31 October 1947).
2. Emblem ---The current United Nations emblem was approved on 7 December 1946. The design is "a map of the world representing an azimuthal equidistant projection centred on the North Pole, inscribed in a wreath consisting of crossed conventionalized branches of the olive tree, in gold on a field of smoke-blue with all water areas in white. The projection of the map extends to 60 degrees south latitude, and includes five concentric circles".
3. The United Nations and Endemol India (producer of reality shows such as Big Boss and Laughter Challenge) had joined hands to produce a music reality show called 'Mission Ustaad'. The programme will  telecasted  on 9X, a general entertainment channel from 1st December 2007. The purpose of the programme is to bring attention to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
4. Ban Ki-moon--------United Nations Secretary-General.
5. Solution Exchange, an initiative of the United Nations Agencies in India, is harnessing the power of Communities of Practice to help attain national development goals and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), leveraging the knowledge, experience and energies of development practitioners towards the common objective of problem-solving.

Peace Keeping OF UN BY InDIAN ArMY

Peace Keeping OF UN BY InDIAN ArMY

Image via Wikipedia

Peace Keeping Time and again, India has risked the lives of its soldiers in peacekeeping efforts of the United Nations, not for any strategic gain, but in the service of an ideal. India's ideal was, and remains, strengthening the world body, and international peace and security. While approaching our participation in different peacekeeping operations, we have based ourselves on the basic principles given below :- All means for the peaceful settlement of disputes should be exhausted before establishing a peacekeeping operation. Peacekeeping operations should strictly adhere to principles of the UN Charter, in particular the principles of full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, and non-intervention in their internal affairs. Peacekeeping operations should be considered only at the request of the member states involved and should be under the command and control of the UN. Resources for peacekeeping activities should not be at the expanse of resources for development activities of the UN. There should be no hesitation in ending those operations, which have been overtaken by events or become inconsistent with their mandates. It is also important to ensure that the distinction between peacekeeping operations and other activities of the UN, including humanitarian assistance, is maintained at all times. The anticipated duration of a peacekeeping mission should be tied to clear objectives and realistic criteria to end the mission and an exit strategy. Indian troops have taken part in some of the most difficult operations, and have suffered casualties in the service of the UN. Professional excellence of the Indian troops has won universal admiration. India has taken part in the UN peacekeeping operations in four continents. It most significant contribution has been to peace and stability in Africa and Asia. It has demonstrated its unique capacity of sustaining large troop commitments over prolonged periods. Presently, India is ranked among the largest and most reliable Troop Contributor Nations to the UN. India has also offered one brigade of troops to the UN Stand- by Arrangements. Countries, which participate in UN Peacekeeping Operations, have to provide not only the military expertise but also have to be politically acceptable. The range of sensitive peacekeeping operations India has participated in is testimony to India’s image in the world. India has always contributed generously to UN demands for peacekeeping. Known for their equanimity and forbearance, Indian troops have proved popular everywhere. The first call came early enough, when India sent troops to Korea to form the Custodian Force (India), which functioned under the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission headed by Major General (later General) KS Thimayya, DSO in 1953-54. This was a delicate task, involving the repatriation of Prisoners of War. This was followed by a stint at Gaza to keep Israeli and Egyptian forces apart. The largest (and longest serving) contingent was sent to the Congo in 1961. A complete independent brigade group, it helped bring about peace and thereafter enforce it - which involved light to heavy engagements with motley groups beefed up by white mercenary columns. One most cherished compliment came from an adversary. The mercenaries themselves conceded, in later writings, that the Indian contingent's activity curbed their style. Mention was made of a certain tenacity of purpose in combat. India has sent battalion groups, engineers, medical teams, mil observers and staff personnel to Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Lebanon, Ethiopia-Eritrea, Congo, Sudan and Golan Heights. Observers and staff personnel have made their contributions to the international peace efforts in Central America, Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Kuwait, Liberia, Lebanon, Mozambique, Congo, Ethiopia-Eritrea, Sudan and Golan Heights. After Korea (1950-52) and Congo (1960-63), India again sent a brigade group to Somalia and Congo displaying its resolve to support international community in peace and security issues. India has also provided able leaders for various missions in General Thimayya in Korea & Cyprus, Lt Gen Dewan Prem Chand in Cyprus & Namibia, Lt Gen Satish Nambiar in Yugoslavia, Maj Gen Inderjit Rikhye in Sinai, West Irian & Yemen, Maj Gen PS Gyani in Yemen, Sinai & Cyprus, Maj Gen V Jaitley in Sierra Leone Maj Gen LM Tiwari in Lebanon, Maj Gen(now Lt Gen) Rajender Singh, SM, VSM in Ethiopia-Eritrea, Lt Gen RK Mehta,PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM as Military Adviser to the Secretary General in UN HQ, Lt Gen JS Lidder, UYSM, AVSM in Sudan and Maj Gen Bikram Singh, AVSM, SM, VSM as Divisional Commander in Congo apart from many a contingent commanders.
cOURTESY --- ARMY WEBSITE

Walk the World

On June 6th join Walk the World 2010!

"End Hunger: Walk the World" will take place on Sunday 6 June. This year we hope to repeat the success of Walk the World 2009 when 360 thousand people walked in 210 locations raising enough money to provide school meals to 20 thousand children in the world's poorest countries for one year.You can see some images of walks around the world here. See you on June 6th 2010!

What is Walk the World?

"End Hunger: Walk the World" is an annual event to raise money and awareness for WFP’s efforts to fight child hunger and malnutrition. The Walk is a joint effort of WFP and its corporate partners, led by TNT, Unilever and DSM. Employees from these companies walk with WFP Goodwill Ambassadors, staff, and beneficiaries as well as government and NGO partners to show their solidarity in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.

Millennium Development Goals

Indian Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) - India Country Report

Shri G. K. Vasan, Minister of State (independent charge), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, released the first Millennium Development Goals - India Country Report for the year 2005 on 13th February 2006 in a simple function at Delhi. The Millennium Declaration adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in September 2000 reaffirmed its commitment to the right to development, peace, security and gender equality, to the eradication of many dimensions of poverty and to overall sustainable development. These are intended for the Member Countries to take efforts in the fight against poverty, illiteracy, hunger, lack of education, gender inequality, infant and maternal mortality, disease and environmental degradation. The Millennium Declaration adopted 8 development goals, 18 time-bound targets and 48 indicators

 

     

2. The Millennium Development Goals are

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality.
5. Improve maternal health.
6. Combat HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability and
8. Develop a global partnership for development