Introduction
Human rights are a fundamental value recognized by all democracies. Today, at least one of the nine core international human rights treaties has been ratified by all UN member states. However, despite the recognition of human rights in the laws and obligations of states, gaps in the practical implementation of human rights standards can be found in any country. The goal of translating the Declaration into reality for all has not yet been achieved. Therefore, an active search is being made to overcome obstacles that impede the implementation of all human rights standards. This paper aims to investigate arguments in favor and against the claim that there has been progress in global human rights and explore the role of national cultural value systems in the issue.
Main body
The primary argument for significant progress in the framework of global human rights is that there has been intense international cooperation to promote and enhance them. For instance, “The Human Rights Council, set up in 2006, has addressed vital and sensitive issues and its Universal Periodic Review … has allowed countries to assess each other’s human rights records” (UN Human Rights, no date, para. 14). Then, the global community tends to put a lot of effort into the struggle for the protection of minorities, women, and the vulnerable stratum of society. Recent examples might be the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements – they unite progressive and conscious people around the globe (Black Lives Matter, n.d.; MeToo, n.d.). Such a state of affairs allows assuming prominent and notable progress.
Nevertheless, there are a few arguments against the fact that this progress has been made. First, many countries still do not follow plenty of recognized and established standards. For example, Islamic law aspires to regulate social life with little opportunities for implementing fundamental freedoms (Ludrovcová & Pinteric, 2017). It should also be mentioned that within politics, human rights are utilized rather as a tool to influence society. Many politicians make loud claims regarding the theme not to support global human rights realization but to gain a solid reputation and achieve personal goals. Even though the arguments in favor of the progress seem more convincing, the above paragraph shows that there is still a long way to go.
Then, the protection of human rights presupposes the defense of the very idea of these inalienable rights and their rooting in the public consciousness. Therefore, the primary and initial area of international cooperation is the activity of the world community aimed at substantiating the universal essence of human rights and recognition of their comprehensive character. The mass and effective participation in the protection of fundamental freedoms directly depends on the extent to which human rights become a life landmark and spiritual value. This turned out to be one of the most challenging problems. Here, national cultural value systems have a crucial role as they determine the state of mind of the societies that they affect. From the initial stages of the personal growth of a human, these systems are the primary foundation for one’s moral development. The ideas and visions provided by national values are a determinant that guides a person in his or her perception of global human rights.
Conclusion
To conclude, the above discussion shows that there have been achievements within the scope of developing and implementing global human rights over the last twenty years. However, there is several issues and obstacles that are to be overcome. It was argued that significant national cultural value systems might contribute to the accomplishment of the latter. The global community has understood that promoting these rights is among critical prerequisites for productive international cooperation and peace.
References
Black Lives Matter (n.d.). Global actions. Web.
Ludrovcová, D., & Pinteric, U. (2017). Decay of human rights in 21st century. Challenges of the Future, 2(3), 162–177.
MeToo. (n.d.). History & vision. Web.
UN Human Rights. (n.d.). Human rights achievements. Web.