1994–2024: The international protection of human rights between rise, decline or stagnation

2024/11/19 by Zimmermann, Andreas
#United Nations #human rights system #international protection of human rights #multilateralism

paper · doi:10.60935/mrm2024.29.2.15

Abstract

This article takes the 30th anniversary of the Human Rights Centre at the University of Potsdam as an opportunity to take stock of where the regional and universal systems of human rights protection stand today and where they could develop in the coming years. The article reflects on the historical development of human rights protection since the founding of the Human Rights Centre in 1994, from the changes in Europe after 1990 to contemporary global challenges. The article surveys how international human rights mechanisms have expanded since the Cold War, but also highlights stagnation in new treaty ratifications and emerging challenges such as climate change, new technologies like artificial intelligence, and evolving perspectives from States from the Global South.

Related

• National Incorporation of Global Human Rights: Worldwide Expansion of National Human Rights Institutions, 1966-2004
• The impact of the economic crisis on human rights in Europe and the accountability of international institutions
• Global Human Rights and State Sovereignty: State Ratification of International Human Rights Treaties, 1965–2001¹
• Do International Human Rights Treaties Improve Respect for Human Rights?
• THE FUTURE OF HUMAN RIGHTS: REJUVENATING THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS THROUGH HUMAN RIGHTS 75 PLEDGES