FIND OUT MORE. Cold War 435 • International Organizations 434
Society and Beliefs^317
Human rights are basic rights and freedoms, to which
all people are believed to be entitled. After World
War II, the United Nations (UN) drew up a list of
human rights to protect all citizens and promote
the rights of each individual.
WHAT IS IMPARTIAL AID?
Humanitarian organizations, such as the Red Cross, are able to enter war-torn areas
to get help to the people who need it most. All sides trust them to give impartial
aid during a conflict – to help any human being who needs it, whichever political
side they may be on. Some humanitarian aid agencies prefer to be partial, giving
aid only to the people whose political positions they share.
The goal of humanitarianism is to put human welfare above all
things. In warfare, for example, the humanitarian approach is that
doctors should treat wounded enemy soldiers as well as their own,
without concern for the political issues involved. Humanitarian
organizations provide vital sources of aid in times of war or crisis.
CAN HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSERS BE PUNISHED?
International law on human rights allows the
international community to punish politicians if they
abuse the rights of their citizens. But many states
reject this use of international law, because they
suspect that it could be used to control a country,
rather than to improve its human rights.
DOES EVERYONE AGREE OVER HUMAN RIGHTS?
Some human rights are accepted by almost all
cultures and political parties, while others are still
disputed. For example, rights supporting political
freedoms, such as the right to vote in elections, are
more widely accepted than those supporting economic
and social freedoms, such as equal rights for women.
WHAT IS SOVEREIGNTY?
Nations have rights, just as citizens within nations
do. The right for nations to make decisions free from
outside control is called sovereignty. Sovereignty can
be a barrier to. HUMANITARIANISM, if a nation
refuses to admit to its human rights problems.
1 INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE, THE HAGUE
Nations can bring a complaint to the International Court of Justice in
The Hague, in the Netherlands, about crimes committed by another
nation. This 1999 sitting of the court found NATO countries not guilty
of a complaint by Yugoslavia that it had been illegally bombed.1 FOOD AID REACHES THE HUNGRY
In 2001, wealthier countries gave food to thousands of Afghan refugees
through the World Food Program. Refugees from wars or government
repression urgently require access to food, clean water, and shelter.HUMANITARIANISM
4 RIGHTS CAMPAIGNERS
Groups like Amnesty International
help to defend human rights
worldwide. This banner was raised
in Pakistan to challenge those
who supported the Taliban’s rule
in neighbouring Afghanistan.Human Rights
1 UN UNIVERSAL DECLARATION
On 10 December, 1948, world leaders announced that the UN had voted
to support a single human rights law for all humanity. The Soviet Union,
South Africa, and Saudi Arabia chose not to vote on this issue.human
rights