Ethics & human rights

1. Ethics & human rights

2. A Reminder • Ethics: what actors on the global political stage ought to do, rather than descriptive study of what they have done or are doing. • Justice: the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, law, fairness and equity that seeks punishment when ethics are breached. (ICC, ICJ)

3. Debates Economic, Development and Cultural Challenges to the Universality of Human Rights • Universality: global • We are kidding ourselves if we think there are no abuses occurring. • BUT the UDHR has been around since 1948!

5. Justifications • HR Abuses occur when economic conditions deteriorate or in states seeking economic advancement. • THINK of states who have experienced abuses in the past and are currently experiencing abuses. What category can we put them in? • PRC Example: National Interest is Economic Development, so allows HR abuses to occur.

6. Justifications • HR protections are sequential, thus ‘economic and social rights come before ‘political and civil liberties’ • Therefore – less developed states should not (can not?) provide the same rights as those in developed states.

7. Justifications • HR is a ‘Western’ concept. • ‘Asian Values’ • 1993 Bangkok Declaration says that Western notions of HR are excessively individualistic as opposed to the stress on the family of Asian societies and insufficiently supportive of religion. • Is this cultural relativism or an excuse for repression?

10. Task • Fill in the table