Rights and Responsibilities for Individuals and NGOs: Moral Challenges Put Forward by the Millennium Development Goals

Abstract

Human rights lawyers and human rights activists often hesitate or even hate to talk about human responsibilities and responsibilities (in short: duties). This is the case for obvious reasons, which can best be understood in light of the very beginning of the history of human rights, relating to the protection of human beings against the abuse of power by States. Talking too much about duties of human beings (and their societal organisations) would be a nice ‘playing card’ in the hands of authoritarian governments, whether they are communist left, military right or religiously fundamentalist. Despite this, there might be good grounds to talk about human duties, alongside rights. The paper addresses these duties of human beings and their non-governmental organisations towards other human beings and the world society as a whole. The focus is upon a moral appeal connected to forms of accountability, and not upon legally binding obligations. Further to that, the focus is on one selected issue: the need to realise the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the human rights related thereto. Is the MDG-reality ‘ordering’ us to rethink the notion of duties for not only States but for individuals and their organisations as well?