Human Rights and Governance

This chapter clarifies what is meant by human rights, focusing on the principle of universality, inclusive of both civil and political rights as well as economic, social, and cultural rights, and the distinction between positive and negative rights. It looks at how structures of governance can be applied to human rights. The chapter explains the instruments and mechanisms of human rights, along with examples of their application. Rather, human rights may be applied to a broad range of activities with which individuals are variously involved, including paid work, the ownership of property, voting and other civic activities, and education, to name only a few. Governance may take place at many different levels. Individuals may, in fact, belong to a series of hierarchical communities, ranging, broadly, from local to regional, to national, and to international levels. Human rights have necessitated the development of various mechanisms, at the international and the national levels, to adjudicate in cases of abuse.