International Treaties and Declarations
Treaties & Declarations
A treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. A Treaty may also be known as: (international) agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, exchange of letters, exchange of notes, accord, memorandum of understanding, etc. Regardless of the terminology, all of these international agreements under international law are equally treaties and the rules are the same. Treaties can be loosely compared to contracts: both are means of willing parties assuming obligations among themselves, and a party to either that fails to live up to their obligations can be held liable under international law for that breach. The central principle of treaty law is expressed in the maxim pacta sunt servanda—"pacts must be respected." The US Human Rights Network member organizations believe that the United States can no longer shield itself from its obligation to upholding human rights at home.
Summary of Human Rights Declarations & Treaties
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The UDHR is the first international statement to use the term "human rights," and has been adopted by the human rights movement as a charter.
Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos
La Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos (DUDH) es una declaración adoptada por la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas que recoge los derechos humanos considerados básicos.
Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme
Treaties
Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
This convention bans discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity.
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
This covenant details the basic civil and political rights of individuals and nations. It covers the rights of nations to self determination, ownership, trade, etc. and the rights of individuals to legal recourse, life, liberty and freedom of movement, equality before the law, etc.
Optional Protocol to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
The protocol adds legal force to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by allowing the Human Rights Commission to investigate and judge complaints of human rights violations from individuals from signator countries.
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
This covenant describes the basic economic, social, and cultural rights of individuals and nations, including the right to self determination, strike, form trade unions, etc.
This convention bans torture under all circumstances and establishes the UN Committee against Torture.
Optional Protocol to Convention against Torture
The protocol adds legal force to the Convention against Torture by allowing the Human Rights Commission to investigate and judge complaints of human rights violations from individuals from signator countries.
Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities
This covenention is intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. Parties to the Convention are required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by persons with disabilities and ensure that they enjoy full equality under the law.
Optional Protool to Convention on Rights of persons with disabilities
A State Party to the present Protocol recognizes the competence of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to receive and consider communications from or on behalf of individuals or groups of individuals subject to its jurisdiction who claim to be victims of a violation by that State Party of the provisions of the Convention.
Convention on the Rights of the Child
This convention bans discrimination against children and provides for special protection and rights appropriate to minors.
Optional Protocol to the Convention on rights of a Child
The protocol promotes international law enforcement through provisions covering diverse issues such as jurisdictional factors; extradition; mutual assistance in investigations, criminal or extradition proceedings and seizure and confiscation of assets.
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
This convention bans discrimination against women.
Optional Protocol Convention on Eliminatio of discrimination against Women
Very often, human rights treaties are followed by "Optional Protocols" which may either provide for procedures with regard to the treaty or address a substantive area related to the treaty.
This convention bans acts commmitted with the intention to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic or religious group.
International Human Rights Standards
Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
The guiding principles address the specific needs of internally displaced persons worldwide. They identify rights and guarantees relevant to the protection of persons from forced displacement to their protection and assistance during displacement as well as during return or resettlement and reintegration.
The Charter of the United Nations contains some important human rights provisions, in addition to containing the framework for the organization as a whole.
The Geneva Conventions focus on the rights of individuals, combatants and non-combatants during war. The conventions are lengthy and detailed, perhaps because human rights are rarely at such risk as during war and, in particular, involve prisoners of war or enemy captives.