PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENSURING SOCIAL JUSTICE - A UNITED NATIONS PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Social justice is a concept that evolved through industrial revolution and with the advent of socialist views on the organization of the society. The concept has its roots in Anglo Saxon political culture which dominated in 10th century. It does not find place in the Bill of Human Rights which comprised the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948 to ensure fundamental human rights for all and the two Covenants adopted in 1966. Whereas Human Rights are inherent rights that one has because one is human. The Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. Human rights and social justice are not synonymous and are two different concepts but they are closely linked. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes economic, social and cultural rights such as the right to health, security in the event of unemployment, and education. In 1966, these rights were brought into the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), part of the International Bill of Human Rights. With this The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action affirm that Human rights education should include peace, democracy, development and social justice, as set forth in international and regional human rights instruments, in order to achieve common understanding and awareness with a view to strengthening universal commitment to human rights. Thus, social justice is based on the concept of human rights and equality and can be defined as the way in which the human rights are manifested in the lives of people at various levels of society. This paper analyses the concept of social justice & human rights from the UN perspective.