The controversial role of United Nations organization in the expansion of Human rights

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The best institution to promote human rights and carry them is embodied in the United Nations organization, whose principal aim is to promote peace and international security and support the expansion of human rights. A large majority of States are now members of this organization. It permits to create the best meeting place on the international scene. In this way, debates and actions become efficient and global, as human rights should be. But does United Nations action really help the expansion of human rights in a good way?

Extraits

[...] If we take into account what the UN represents in the perspective of human rights, its symbolic importance as to their defense, one question appears: why and how was it possible that the breach lasts 13 years? Many argued that United States, one permanent member of the Security Council, wanted to keep oil with low price and it's why these sanctions were into force until 2003. Human rights are basically rights which protect individuals against arbitrary power of a sovereign. But one country can be above these fundamental rights during 13 years? The action of UN was such so contrary to the aims of the organization that Denis J. [...]

[...] One of the main problems in the expansion phenomenon of human rights embody in the fact that this expansion relies too much on the law. Human rights have to be above the law, and considered to exist before the law. It's a dangerous relation, because with the law actors take no responsibility. They justify their act as they are lawful or not. For example, the Iraqi UN sanctions were lawful; the infant deaths are not the responsibility of the UN. [...]

[...] United Nations is the most universal organization, so its action about human rights is important to be studied for the debate about the nature of human rights. Since the real beginning of the expansion of human rights in the international scene, there is a debate between scholars who argue that human rights are a relative concept or at the contrary it's a universal notion. To show the ins and outs of this burning debate within the community of scholars, we will take two items into account, one from Michael E. [...]

[...] This role of the UN organization is justified by its Charter. In the article 55 of the UN Charter states that the UN organization “shall promote: higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development; solutions of international economic, social, health, and related problems; and international cultural and educational cooperation and universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion. Why the role of UN is so important? [...]

[...] For example, it's not proved, but the UN sanctions in Iraq which violated some of the most sacred human rights, were so beneficial for American economy. The expansion of human rights should be based also on other social mode of control, as morality, to introduce more responsibility in the action of States and international organization regarding to the respect of fundamental rights of humanity. In this way, human rights can gain legitimacy. Conclusion Trough this essay, we tried to show that human rights expansion is a complex phenomenon, that of course should continue to be closer from the ideal we include with it, but UN, institution everyone agree with, but not too much idealist More pratical vision Ouverture ; affaire Kadi Original text : Les anniversaires ne valent que s'ils constituent des ponts jetés vers l'avenir Jacques Chirac, Discourse for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Déclaration des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen, (1789) Definition from the website of Amnesty international organization, http://www.amnestyusa.org/human-rights/page.do?id=1031002 Roosevelt, My day, February cited in Alston, Philip: Making Space for New Human Rights: The Case of the Right to Development, L'Havard Human Rights Yearbook 5-6 Martti KOSKENNIEMI, Cambridge review of international affairs, Volume 17, Number July 2004, Page 207, “International law and hegemony: a reconfiguration” Original text : Ces sanctions économiques sont les plus globales, les plus sévères et les plus extensives de l'histoire de l'ONU Michaël Lessard, Essay Les sanctions économiques globales contre l'Irak (1990- 2003) étaient-elles compatibles avec le respect effectif de la Charte de l'ONU, des droits humains et du droit international humanitaire ? [...]