Governance and Human Rights On the International Scene

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue III, March 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Governance and Human Rights On the International Scene

John Walah Mua (PhD)
Department of Political Science and Comparative Politics,University of Buea

Abstract: The promotion, protection and violation of human rights constitute one of the most recurring arenas of debate in international politics. All states proclaim their commitment to human rights. This commitment was consolidated with the adoption of the United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and other related instruments. But the quest to match that ideal with reality by committed governments, international and regional organisations has not been easy because gross human rights violations still exist across the globe. These violations have shaken national and international legitimacy of some governments. The objective of this paper is to explore aspects of the problems which are vital to the study of human rights and governance.

I. BACKGROUND

The issues and problems of human rights have often been seen and conceptualised in a variety of ways, particularly the questions of how much emphasis should be placed on each category of rights, that is, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. In the context of the Third World, there has been a debate of a trade-off between civil and political rights.
Human rights, however, is about human dignity, about protecting the individual against oppression and exploitation, poverty and injustice, marginalisation and degradation. These rights, because they rest on nothing more than being human, are universal, equal and inalienable.
Human rights are seen as concerned with allowing individuals to live to their full potential as human beings, free from fear of oppression and with a high degree of personal freedom to decide their destinies. According to Thomas Paine, all societies have notions of justice, dignity and the rights being held by every person against the state.
Government is legitimate to the extent that it systematically protects and furthers the enjoyment of the human rights of its citizens. The philosopher, John Locke holds that government is based on a social contract between governors and the governed. Citizens are obliged to obey only if the government protects their human rights which are morally above the claims and interests of government.
It should be stated here that human rights concerns are undergoing a transition in the Post-Cold War era. In the aftermath of the Second World War, human rights issues generally focused on strong centralised states in which communist, authoritarian or military regimes repressed dissent, and these situations persisted in countries such as Iraq, Iran, Burma and North Korea. During the past decade, however, human rights abuses increasingly resulted from the collapse of regimes, like in the case of former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Somalia, where massive human rights problems have emerged in the context of armed conflict and regime disintegration. The human rights abuses that result from war are likely to be compounded by refugee crises, disease, hunger, etc.
Some Human Rights Indicators on the International Scene
1) Governance: Government is the focal point or centre of any political system and has the power of directing public affairs of a country. Government is the most inclusive institution compared to other organisations. Government is equally the institution that successfully upholds a claim to the exclusive regulation of the legal use of physical force in making and enforcing its rules within a given geopolitical area. A primordial duty of the state is to promote and practice good and just governance, and this could be realised by enacting policies and forming their governments so that human dignity and freedom are allowed to flourish. Good government cannot, however, be precisely defined, but according to Richard Falk, writing in the Journal of International Affairs, it is a set of ideas about the legitimacy, competence and accountability of government, about respect for human rights and the rule of law. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General made this statement about human rights and governance:
In our global community the issue of human rights in all its dimensions is the concern of all. The struggle for civil and political rights and for social, economic, and cultural rights must be one and the same struggle. Today, human rights are being given increased priority in the work of the UN. Therefore, all governments should implement and promote the respect for human rights in their societies. Governments that continue to disregard basic human rights norms deprive their populations not only of political freedom but also of improved economic conditions.

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