Frequently Asked Questions

The following pages give concise answers to frequently asked questions regarding human rights protection in general and the human rights based approach to development cooperation, in particular. Each answer suggests links and reading for deeper examination of the respective question.

Contents

Are human rights universal?

Why are there regional human rights treaties? Do they weakend the claim to universal human rights?

What does signature of a treaty entail and what is the difference to ratification?

How many states have ratified human rights treaties?

How are human rights implemented and how is this monitored?

What is the role of the United Nations for the monitoring of human rights?

Can a state denounce a human rights treaty it has ratified?

What are Concluding Observations?

What are General Comments?

Is it not sufficient to refrain from committing human rights violations?

How to evaluate the implementation of human rights obligations in practice?

What are Germany’s human rights obligations as a donor country in bilateral development cooperation?

Are poor countries obliged to implement human rights, too? 

What is discrimination?

What is the relation between human rights and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)?

Are states obliged to provide social services free of charge to the poor and extremely poor?

Is it in accordance with human rights law to support the supply of services and infrastructure in comparatively better-off regions and groups?

May a state prioritise a specific sector of development cooperation despite the fact that human rights are indivisible and interrelated?

What are reservations to human rights treaties, and what do they mean?