‚Traditional values‘ vs human rights at the UN
A dangerous process is taking place in the UN system that threatens the universality of human rights by seeking to make them contingent on subjective ‘traditional values’ such as ‘responsible behaviour’.
Sidestepping the concept of equality in a debate about traditional values, and doing so without explanation or rationale demonstrates the dangerous path down which the Russian Federation and its supporters are determined to push the concept. And without equality at the core of human rights discussions, the very universality of human rights is threatened.
“All international human rights agreements, whether universal or regional, must be based on, and not contradict, the traditional values of humankind. If this is not the case, they cannot be considered valid”.
The debates scheduled to take place in Geneva, March 12-13 will inevitably see renewed vigour by some states to reinstate traditional values principles from the discredited first draft above the cautioning approach of the second. What remains to be seen is whether this movement can gather force in the newly shaped Human Rights Council following elections at the General Assembly late last year.
In a world in which gender and minorities know no national boundary or regional bloc, it is an indictment of outdated power structures and diplomatic politicking that concepts threatening equality on all levels of society remain at the heart of UN politics in 2013.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/maggie-murphy/traditional-values-vs-human-rights-at-un
More Info: facebook.com/zfakhteh
minorityrights.org/minority-rights-activists/fakhteh-zamani.html
amnesty.org/en/economic-social-and-cultural-rights
ohchr.org/EN/Issues/FreedomReligion/Pages/FreedomReligionIndex.aspx
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion
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Concern over religious minorities in Iran –UN rights experts More: http://bit.ly/R2u6Ph
UN human rights experts called on the authorities to “ease the current climate of fear in which many churches operate, especially protestant evangelical houses of worship” and expressed deep concern over the arrest and detention of hundreds of Christians over the past few years.
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