Unit VIII the international bill of human rights

Task 1. Make sure you know the meaning of the words and their definitions below

entail	make an event or action necessary, have as necessary consequence
consequence	something that follows from an action or set of conditions, result
to be entitled to	be given the right to do smth
servitude	the condition of a slave or one who is forced to obey another
torture	the act of causing someone severe physical pain
degrading treatment	treatment causing the lost of self-respect or the good opinion of other people
detention	the arrest of someone who is believed to be guilty of a crime
exile	someone who has left or been forced to leave the country especially for political reasons or reasons connected with money
prohibit	forbid by law or rule, to prevent , to make impossible
deprive	take smth away from someone, ( to be deprived of)
advocacy of	support of an idea, way of life, person, etc.
comprehensive	thorough, broad, including a lot or everything

Task 2. Read and translate the text

The Universal Declaration, together with the two International Covenants on Human Rights and their Optional Protocols, comprise the International Bill of Human Rights.

In 1948 the General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was intended as “a common standard of achievement for all peoples”. Over the years it has acquired high moral status and legal and political importance.

The UDHR is not a treaty, so it is not a law in international standards, but it is impossible to ignore it because the violation of its norms will entail important political consequences.

Many provisions of the Universal Declaration are generally considered to have the weight of customary international law because they are so widely accepted and used as a yardstick for measuring the conduct of states. Many newly independent countries have cited the Universal Declaration or included its provisions in their basic laws or constitutions.

The Universal Declaration proclaims two broad categories of rights: civil and political rights, on the one hand, and economic, social and cultural rights on the other. Its 30 articles spell out basic rights that all human beings in every country should enjoy.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Universal Declaration state that “all human beings are born equal in dignity and rights” and are entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in the Declaration “without the distinction of any kind such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status”.

Articles 3 to 21 set forth the civil and political rights to which all human beings are entitled, including:

• the right to life, liberty and security

• freedom from slavery and servitude

• freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

• the right to recognition as a person before the law, the right to judicial remedy, freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention or exile, the right to a fair trial and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty;

• freedom from arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home or correspondence, freedom from attacks upon honor and reputation, the right to protection of the law against such attacks;

• the right to marry and found a family, the right to own property;

• freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of opinion and expression;

• the right to peaceful assembly and association

• the right to take part in government and to equal access to public service;

• Articles 22 to 27 set forth the economic, social and cultural rights to which all human beings are entitled, including:

• the right to social security

• the right to work; the right to equal pay for equal work; the right to form and join trade unions;

• the right to rest and leasure;

• the right to standard of living adequate for health and well-being

• the right to education;

• the right to participate in the cultural life of the community.

The concluding Articles, 28 to 30, recognize that everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the human rights set forth in the Declaration may be fully realized. These rights may only be limited for the sole purpose of securing recognition and respect of the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

These articles also recognize that each person has duties to the community in which she or he lives.

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights entered into force in January 1976. By May 1998, it had 137 States parties. The States parties submit periodic reports to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, a body established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), on how they have been implementing its provisions. The human rights, which the Covenant seeks to promote and protect, are of three kinds:

• the right to work in just and favourable conditions;

• the right to social protection, to an adequate standard of living and to the highest attainable standards of physical and mental well-being;

• the right to education and the enjoyment of benefits of cultural freedom and scientific progress.

The Covenant provides for the realization of these rights without discrimination of any kind. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the First Optional Protocol to that Covenant both entered into force in March 1976. By May 1998, the Covenant had 140 States parties.

• The Covenant deals with such rights as freedom of movement; equality before the law; the right to a fair trial and presumption of innocence; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of opinion and expression; peaceful assembly; participation in public affairs and elections; and protection of minority rights.

• It prohibits arbitrary deprivation of life; torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment; slavery and forced labour; arbitrary arrest or detention; arbitrary interference with privacy; war propaganda; and advocacy of racial or religious hatred.

Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration the idea of human rights has reached unprecedented heights. It has served as the inspiration for more than 80 conventions and declarations that have been concluded within the UN on a wide range of issues, for e.g. : the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees(1951), the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) that guarantees women equality with men before the law, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (1990) that defines basic rights and principles as well as measures to protect migrant workers.

The Universal Declaration and other UN instruments have also inspired several regional agreements, such as the European Convention on Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights, The African Charter.

In addition to these treaties the UN has adopted many other standards and rules relating to the protection of human rights. Among the most important are: the Declaration on the Right to Development (1986), the Basic principles on the Independence of the Judiciary (1985), etc.

So we can say that the creation of a comprehensive body of human rights law is one of the greatest achievements of the UN because it provides us with a universal and internationally protected code of human rights

Task 3. Answer the following questions using the information of the text

1. What documents does the International Bill of Human Rights comprise?

2. When did the General Assembly adopt the UDHR?

3. Is the UDHR a law in international standards?

4. Why is it impossible to ignore the provisions of the Universal Declaration?

5. What is generally considered to have the weight of customary international law and why?

6. What two categories of rights does the UDHR proclaim?

7. How many articles of the UDHR spell out basic rights that all human beings should enjoy?

8. What do Articles 1 and 2 state?

9. What rights do Articles 3 to 21set forth?

10. What rights do Articles 22 to 27 set forth?

11. What rights do Articles 28 to 30 recognize?

12. When did the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enter into force?

13. What are three kinds of human rights which the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights seeks to promote and protect?

14. When did the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the First Optional Protocol to that Covenant enter into force?

15. What rights does the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights deal with?

16. What does the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prohibit?

17. What other Conventions were inspired by the Universal Declaration?

18. Why can we say that the creation of a comprehensive body of human rights law is one of the greatest achievements of the UN?

Task 4. Match the English words and word combinations with their Russian equivalents

	advocacy		произвольный
	equality		лишение
	presumption of inocence		оскорбительное, унижающее обращение
	deprivation		изгнание, ссылка
	interference with		рабство и порабощение, каторга
	detention		равенство
	exile		имеющий право
	arbitrary		вмешательство в
	judicial remedy		последствия
	entail		разъяснять, растолковывать
	consequences		средство судебной защиты
	spell out		повлечь за собой
	set forth		задержание, арест
	to be entitled to		пытки
	slavery and servitude		защита
	torture		излагать, формулировать
	degrading treatment		презумпция невиновности

Task 5. Fill in the blanks with the words from the box

entitled servitude degrading has acquired entail equal in dignity and rights torture remedy detention impartial arbitrary presumed innocent set forth guilty honor recognize interference with provides for advocacy of prohibits deprivation comprehensive consequences yardstick have cited comprise spell out entered into force

1. The Universal Declaration, together with the two International Covenants on Human Rights and their Optional Protocols, ________ the International Bill of Human Rights.

2. Over the years the Universal Declaration ________ high moral status and legal and political importance.

3. Many provisions of the Universal Declaration are widely accepted and used as a ________ for measuring the conduct of states.

4. Many newly independent countries ________ the Universal Declaration or included its provisions in their basic laws or constitutions.

5. It is impossible to ignore the UDHR because the violation of its norms will _____ important political _______.

6. Its 30 articles _____ basic rights that all human beings in every country should enjoy.

7. Articles 1 and 2 of the Universal Declaration state that “all human beings are born _____ and are _____ to all the rights and freedoms ______ in the Declaration.

8. Articles 3 to 21 set forth the civil and political rights, to which all human beings are entitled including:

• freedom from slavery and _________.

• freedom from ______ or cruel, inhuman or _______ treatment or punishment.

• the right to judicial ________, freedom from _____ arrest, ______or exile, the right to a fair trial and public hearing by an independent and ________ tribunal, the right to be _______ until proved _______;

• freedom from arbitrary _______ privacy, family, home or correspondence, freedom from attacks upon _______ and reputation, etc.

9. The concluding Articles, 28 to 30, _________ that everyone is entitled to a social and international order.

10. The Covenant _____ the realization of the rights without discrimination of any kind.

11. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the First Optional Protocol to that Covenant both _______ in March 1976.

12. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ______ arbitrary _____ of life, and _______ racial or religious hatred, etc.

13. The creation of a ______ body of human rights law is one of the greatest achievements of the UN.

Task 6. Mark the sentences as True or False

1. The Universal Declaration comprises the International Bill of Human Rights.

2. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948.

3. It is impossible to ignore the UDHR because it is a law in international standards.

4. The violation of the UDHR norms will entail important social consequences.

5. Many provisions of the Universal Declaration are generally considered to have the weight of private international law because they are so widely accepted and used.

6. The Universal Declaration proclaims three broad categories of rights.

7. Its 20 articles spell out basic rights that all human beings in every country should enjoy.

8. Articles 3 to 21 set forth the economic and political rights to which all human beings are entitled.

9. Articles 22 to 27 set forth the civil, social and cultural rights.

10. The concluding Articles, 28 to 30, recognize that everyone is entitled to a public and international order in which the human rights set forth in the Declaration may be fully realized.

11. The concluding Articles also recognize that each person has duties to the community in which she or he lives.

12. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights entered into force in May 1998.

13. The Covenant seeks to promote and protect the human rights of three kinds.

14. The Covenant provides for the realization of these rights without discrimination of any kind.

15. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights entered into force in March 1976, and the First Optional Protocol to that Covenant entered into force by May 1998.

16. The creation of a comprehensive body of human rights law is one of the greatest achievements of the UN.

Task 7. Translate the following:

Беспристрастный, to comprise, повлечь за собой, приобретать (получать), consequences, разъяснять, equal in dignity and rights, пытка, to be entitled to, формулировать, servitude, degrading treatment, средство судебной защиты, произвольный арест, to be presumed innocent until proved guilty, вмешиваться, recognize, честь и достоинство, to provide for, to enter into force, to prohibit, лишение, защита, comprehensive, ссылаться (цитировать), yardstick.

Task 8. Complete the sentences with the endings from the text

1. The Universal Declaration, together with the two International Covenants on Human Rights and their Optional Protocols, comprise…

2. It is impossible to ignore the Universal Declaration because the violation of its norms will …

3. Many provisions of the Universal Declaration are generally considered to have the weight of customary international law because…

4. The Universal Declaration proclaims two broad categories of rights: civil and political rights, on the one hand, and …

5. Its 30 articles spell out basic rights that …

6. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights entered into force in …

7. The human rights, which the Covenant seeks to…

8. The Covenant provides for the realization of these rights without …

9. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the First Optional Protocol to that Covenant both entered into …

10. The Covenant deals with such rights as freedom of movement; equality before the law, the right to a fair trial and presumption of innocence, freedom of thought, concience and religion, freedom of opinion and …

11. It prohibits arbitrary deprivation of life, torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment, slavery and forced labour, arbitrary arrest or detention and arbitrary interference with …

12. Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration the idea of human rights has reached…

13. The creation of a comprehensive body of human rights law is one of the greatest achievements of the UN because …

Task 9. Choose the correct variant

1. a) The Universal Declaration, together with the two International Covenants on Human Rights and their Optional Protocols comprise the International Bill of Human Rights.

b) The Universal Declaration, together with the three International Covenants on Human Rights and their Optional Protocols comprise the International Bill of Human Rights.

2. a) The UDHR is a treaty, so it is a law in international standards, and it is impossible to ignore it because the violation of its norms will entail important political consequences.

b) The UDHR is not a treaty, so it is not a law in international standards, but it is impossible to ignore it because the violation of its norms will entail important political consequences.

3. a) Many newly independent countries have cited the Universal Declaration or included its provisions in their basic laws or constitutions.

b) Many newly independent countries have cited the International Covenant on Economic, social and Cultural Rights and included its provisions in their basic laws or constitutions.

4. a) Articles 1 and 2 of the Universal Declaration state that “all human beings are born equal in dignity and rights” and are entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in the Declaration.

b) Articles 1 and 2 of the Universal Declaration state that “all human beings are born equal in dignity and rights” and are entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in the International Bill of human Rights.

5. a) The concluding articles also recognize that each person has duties to the community in which she or he lives.

b) The concluding articles also recognize that each person has only rights to the community in which she or he lives.

Task 10. Fill in the rights that the UDHR sets forth: