Study Plan for the YPP exam 2014 – Human Rights Job Family

YPP 2014 – Human Rights Job Family

Study Plan:
Week 1- Specifics of Human Rights (ending November 16)

III. State’s Human Rights Obligations.

1. Legally bounding states to Human Rights by International law
   Consent
   ii. Customary international law

iii. Internalisation of human rights norms.

2. Three Part Framework
   i. Respect
   ii. Protect
   iii. Fulfil
3. Civil and political rights.
4. Sources of Civil and political Rights
   i. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
   ii. The Core UN human rights treaties
   iii. Genocide convention
   iv. Geneva conventions (I, II,II,IV, as well as protocols I and II)
   v. International convention for the protection of all persons from enforced disappearance.
   vi. Jus cogens and International customs.
5. Specific Civil and political rights.
   i. Characteristics of all Civil and Political Rights
   ii. Self-determination of peoples
   iii. Prohibition of any type of discrimination
   iv. Rights for Life, Liberty and physical security
   v. Judicial process
   vi. Fundamental freedoms
   vii. Family
   viii. Political Participation
   ix. Minorities.
   x. Death penalty
   V. Economic, cultural and social rights.
6. Sources of Economic, Cultural and Social Rights
   i. International Covenant on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights
   ii. UN core Human Rights Treaties
   iii. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples
7. Specific Economic, cultural and social rights
   i. Work
   ii. Social security and Social protection
   iii. Protection and assistance to the family
   iv. Adequate standard of living
   v. Health
   vi. Education
   vii. Cultural Life
   VI. Collective Rights
8. Theoretical Perspectives
9. The right to self-determination
10. The right to development
11. The right to a healthy environment
12. The right to Peace

VII. Human Rights of Vulnerable persons and groups

1. Theoretical perspectives
2. Women’s rights
3. Children’s rights
4. Rights of the Person with disabilities
5. Rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities
6. Indigenous people’s rights
7. Protection of refugees.
8. LGBT Rights

Related questions:

• List the seven principal (UN) international human rights treaties currently in force.
• Describe the “Global Compact” and discuss its importance for human rights

Materials

• A Handbook of International Human Rights Terminology . By H. Victor Condé, University of Nebraska Press.

• Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments. UN/DPI. / Droits de l’homme : recueil des instruments internationaux. ONU/DPI.

• Integrating Human Rights with Sustainable Human Development. UN, 1998. / Intégrer les droits de l’homme au développement durable.1998.

• The United Nations and Human Rights, 1945-1995. UN/DPI, 1995 / Les Nations Unies et les droits de l’homme, 1945-1995. Série

• “Livres bleus des Nations Unies”, Volume VIII. ONU /DPI. 1996. 536 pages.

• United Nations Action in the Field of Human Rights. UN / Les activités de l’ONU dans le domaine des droits de l’homme. ONU.

• World Conference on Human Rights: The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. DPI, New York, 1995

Week 2 Human Rights enforcement mechanism and human rights and armed conflict (ending November 23)

VIII. The UN System

1. The Need for International enforcement mechanisms
2. Charter Bodies
   i. The Economic and Social Council – ECOSOC
   1. The Commission on the Status of Women
3. The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
4. Consultative status of NGOs in the UN
   ii. The UN Security Council
   iii. The UN Secretariat
   iv. The Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights
5. Human Rights Coordination
6. Human Rights Monitoring
7. Human Rights Studies
8. Human Rights promotion
   v. The General Assembly
   vi. The Human Rights Council
9. Universal periodic review
10. Advisory Body
11. Special procedure
12. Complaints procedures
13. Treaty Bodies
    i. Functions of the treaty bodies
14. Issuing general comments
15. Considering state parties’ reports
16. Conducting inquiries
17. Receiving individual communications
18. Receiving state-to-state complaints
19. Human Rights Committee

iii. Committee on Economic, social and cultural rights

1. Committee on the elimination of discrimination against women
2. Committee on the elimination of racial discrimination
   vi. Committee against torture
   vii. Committee on the rights of child
   viii. Committee on migrant workers
   ix. Committee on the rights of persons with disabilities
   x. Committee on enforced disappearance
   IX. Human Rights during armed conflicts
3. Jus ad Bellum and the responsibility to protect
4. International humanitarian law
5. Law and war
6. International criminal law

Related questions:

• Describe the role and mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• Recent years have brought important developments in strengthening the judicial enforcement of international human rights and humanitarian law. Name three (3) such developments since the 1990s.
• One aspect of the Secretary General’s Reform programme of 1997 called for integrating the human rights programmes into a broad range of the organisation’s activities, including in the peacekeeping, development and humanitarian areas. Discuss the objectives of this process and provide three examples of how it is being accomplished

Week 3: Human Rights in peacekeeping operations and Human Rights Monitoring (ending November 30)

1. Human Rights in Peacekeeping Operations
2. Human rights problems in conflict and post-conflict
   i. How violations of human rights occur?
   ii. Human rights problems common in peacekeeping operations
   iii. Groups especially at risk
   iv. Transitional justice
   v. Reinforcement of state authorities and civil society
3. Key Principles of conduct of human rights in Peacekeeping missions.
4. Actions of protection
   i. Definition and operational framework
   ii. Protection of civilians
   iii. Protection through presence and access
   iv. Building protection strategies
   v. Applying human rights in peace operations
   vi. The work of human rights components in peacekeeping operations
5. DPKO missions specific human rights mandates.
6. Human rights monitoring
7. Concept
8. Human Rights violations vs Human Rights abuse
9. Bringing state authorities responsible for their human rights role
10. Monitoring Political and civil rights
11. Monitoring economic and cultural rights
12. Structure of a human rights report
    i. Key information
    ii. Key indicators
    iii. Gender mainstreaming
13. Protection of victims and witnesses.
    i. Voluntary fund on the protection of victims of torture.

Week 4: the week of the exam (ending 3 December)

XII. Summarize key texts relevant to human rights.
XIII. Review

Originally posted at YPUN.