Author: Bilean Beraki
Publication date: 25.06.2024
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) are bodies used to depict the third sector of society, independent from governments and businesses and are typically non-profit. These bodies exist to promote societal wellbeing, dabbling in issues of environmental concern, human rights violations and so on. NGO’s range from local pressure groups to international organizations with branches in many countries. The role of these organizations span from advocacy and educators to watchdogs motioning the preservation of human rights.
The Different Types of Human Rights NGO’s
Their establishment has often been driven by the need to uphold and promote different generations of human rights, from civil and political rights to economic, social, cultural and, collective rights. These NGO’s have evolved to address subsequent generations of human rights.
First Generation Human Rights
The first generation of Human Rights, also known as the Civil and Political rights, was heavily influenced by the Cold war. These rights are often considered negative rights because they primarily involve limiting government interference in individual’s lives rather than requiring active promotion of certain benefits. For instance,
the right to freedom of speech is crucial for political participation and personal liberty.
These rights led to the establishment of the most acknowledged Human Rights NGO’s, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. These organizations are best known for their work in advocating for fundamental rights such as the right to life, liberty, and freedom from discrimination. They use various methods, including reporting, lobbying, and public campaigns to protect individual’s rights and ensure governments adhere to international human rights standards.
Civil and Political rights are well documented in international treaties, particularly the International Convention of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the European Convention for the protection of Human Rights (ECHR).
The rights enriched in the ICCPR are monitored by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, while the enforcement of the ECHR rights is overseen by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Under the ECHR, individuals who believe that their rights have been violated can file complaints against the member state in ECtHR in Strasbourg, provided that they have exhausted every domestic remedy available. The convention rights are mainly the responsibility of the national governments, parliaments and courts, however, the European Court of Human Rights act as a safeguard.
Second Generation of Rights
With the rise of industrialization and the working class, there was a growing recognition that a dignified life requires more than just freedom from state interference. Second-generation rights focus on how people live and work together, ensuring everyone has the basic necessities for life. They stress the importance of equal access to vital social and economic resources, services, and opportunities. Social, economic, and cultural rights are documented in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and the European Social Charter (ESC). These rights encompass labor rights, the right to health, the right to education, and the right to an adequate standard of living. Rather than allowing individual complaints, the ESC ensures compliance through a collective complaints procedure and periodic reporting by state parties, rather than allowing individual complaints.
The implementation and protection of second generation rights often require collaboration with governments, international organizations, and local communities. NGO’s play a crucial role in monitoring compliance with these rights, conducting research on violations, and providing legal assistance to individuals or groups whose rights have been infringed. These rights expanded the scope of NGO work beyond the traditional civil and political rights, contributing to a more comprehensive approach to human rights protection worldwide.
Third Generation of Rights
This generation of rights encompass collective rights that can be divide into sub-categories. The first sub-category relates to ‘the self-determination of people’ and includes various aspects of community development and political status. The second sub-group pertains to the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. Often, these rights appear in agreements classified as ‘soft laws’, meaning they are not legally binding. Example of these agreements are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the 1992 Rio Declaration of Environment and Development. This generation of rights which address collective issues like the right to peace, right to development and right to a clean environment, faces more challenges than the first two generations. However, they have started gaining more recognition due to globalization and a heightened awareness of overlapping global concerns, such as extreme poverty.
Understanding the distinctions between each generation of human rights allows us to appreciate the field’s broad scope and the variety of issues it encompasses. Each generation has inspire the creation of new types of NGOs or expanded the missions of existing ones, enabling them to address a wider array of human rights challenges.
You can also read about:
Comments