Center for Biblical Theology and Eschatology

Extreme Poverty, Racism, Deny Human Rights

by Mireille Benkabouche

Human rights, from the beginning declared to be indivisible, have evolved progressively into two categories: (1) civil and political rights and (2) economic, social and cultural rights, with the former in practice given priority over the latter.

In recent years, there has been a backlash against this division, emphasizing the equal seriousness of violations of economic, social and cultural rights - such as extreme poverty, economic exploitation and underdevelopment - and insisting that all rights are interconnected.

How is the concern for human rights to be integrated into work on extreme poverty and racism? In September this year, I represented the Alliance at a seminar in Geneva on this question organized by the International Service for Human Rights. It brought together non-governmental organizations working on these issues and diplomatic representatives to the United Nations to inform each other of current developments.

Concern is growing about the economic policies imposed on poorer countries by the international financial institutions for the sake of trade liberalization. While these policies may contribute to enriching transnational corporations (TNCs) and powerful countries, they impose high human, social, and ecological costs on the poorer countries. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education is currently asking the World Bank to bring lending agreements into conformity with the human right to education.

Regulations adopted by the international financial institutions are based on an agreement among signatory states, ie on treaty law. By contrast, the defence and protection of all human rights is an obligation on all states, to which all other laws are subordinate. It is essential to bring the regulations adopted by financial institutions into compliance with human rights.

Several participants in the seminar affirmed the central role of UN bodies in dealing with economic, social and cultural rights. While they support existing international standards, they recognized that new mechanisms may be needed with regard to debt relief and the taxation of short-term investments. An international code of economic and social standards needs to be established, and an international code of conduct for TNCs. For the representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and Franciscans International, the right to development was central, encompassing and uniting all human rights.

The World Trade Organization agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) was of special concern. On August 17 2000, the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights adopted a resolution on intellectual property rights and human rights which affirms the priority of human rights and ecological protection over short-term economic interests. Participants welcomed this resolution.

Information about the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance to be held in 2001 was shared. Participants affirmed a link between racism and structural inequalities which exclude the poor and are interiorized by both sides. They called for the international monitoring of racism, racial profiling of victims in judicial systems and the collection of statistics on race and access to education.

When migrants who have to leave their country because of intolerable economic and social conditions are not considered as refugees, nor protected like those who have lost their civil and political rights, the indivisibility of human rights is again denied. Increasingly, states seem to consider that their duty to defend human rights extends only to their own nationals, and that they are free to discriminate against immigrants and workers from minority groups.

Finally, the seminar deplored a tendency in international organizations to define "core rights" to the detriment of economic, social and cultural rights.

The defence of human values as opposed to selfish and short-term economic interests, the need to protect the earth from pollution and devastation: these themes are integral to the church process on "Covenanting for justice in the economy and the earth" launched at our 23rd general council. It is in this context that the Alliance affirms the supremacy of human rights over all regulations and engages in the defence of economic, social and cultural rights within the UN system.

Peace,

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