Apart from legal norms and various institutions, non‑governmental organisations stand guardto stand guardstand guard over human rights. They play an extremely important role in the protection of human rights. Intensive development of non‑governmental organisations in this sector took place in the last 50–60 years.
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Fotografia przedstawia czwórkę ludzi w błękitnych koszulkach z napisem "volunteer". Na fotografii umieszczono następujące napisy: 1. Regulatory function. It consists in co-creating or creating legal norms (laws, international conventions) and certain moral patterns of conduct by the organizations. Non-governmental organizations urge governments to ratify conventions and adopt instruments for the protection of human rights. 2. Control function. It is the creation of special mechanisms of observation and verification, to what extent states observe the rights and freedoms. Non-governmental organizations create a kind of inspection systems and collect information on human rights violations. 3. Information function. Based on the collected materials, non-governmental organizations inform national and international authorities and the public about human rights violations. 4. Promotional and educational function. It is associated with the dissemination of the idea of protection of rights and freedoms.
Fotografia przedstawia czwórkę ludzi w błękitnych koszulkach z napisem "volunteer". Na fotografii umieszczono następujące napisy: 1. Regulatory function. It consists in co-creating or creating legal norms (laws, international conventions) and certain moral patterns of conduct by the organizations. Non-governmental organizations urge governments to ratify conventions and adopt instruments for the protection of human rights. 2. Control function. It is the creation of special mechanisms of observation and verification, to what extent states observe the rights and freedoms. Non-governmental organizations create a kind of inspection systems and collect information on human rights violations. 3. Information function. Based on the collected materials, non-governmental organizations inform national and international authorities and the public about human rights violations. 4. Promotional and educational function. It is associated with the dissemination of the idea of protection of rights and freedoms.
The functions of non-governmental organizations in the field of human rights
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Non‑governmental organisations exert bottom‑up pressurebottom‑up pressurebottom‑up pressure on individual states and international organisations. In many cases their activities are extremely effective. Today, it is difficult to even imagine the functioning of the system of human rights protection, whether at the national or international level, without the participation of non‑governmental organisations. In many situations they remain the only impartialimpartialimpartial actors and, unlike the states, they are less likely to be subjected to political or economic pressure. NGOs gather information on human rights violations and then inform the public and relevantrelevantrelevant institutions about it.
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Na fotografii znajdują się dwie pary dłoni. Jedne przekazują paczkę drugim. Ponadto, na fotografii znajdują się następujące informacje: 1. acting as a pressure group in political circles – parliamentary and governmental 2. providing indirect and direct help to victims of human rights violations 3. submitting complaints to international institutions operating on the basis of conventions that uphold human rights 4. conducting their own investigations 5. analysing the human rights situation in individual countries or regions 6. sending their representatives to court trials 7. organising public debates, campaigns, publishing reports
Na fotografii znajdują się dwie pary dłoni. Jedne przekazują paczkę drugim. Ponadto, na fotografii znajdują się następujące informacje: 1. acting as a pressure group in political circles – parliamentary and governmental 2. providing indirect and direct help to victims of human rights violations 3. submitting complaints to international institutions operating on the basis of conventions that uphold human rights 4. conducting their own investigations 5. analysing the human rights situation in individual countries or regions 6. sending their representatives to court trials 7. organising public debates, campaigns, publishing reports
Methods used by non-governmental organisations
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Without the activities of NGOs, we would probably never hear of human rights violations such as torture or secret detention at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In addition, non‑governmental organisations collect valuable statistical data, including the data on executed death sentences. Their tasks also include influencing the education system in individual countries and raising the awareness in the field of human rights.
Non‑governmental organisations (national and international) are very willing to cooperate with government organisations. There are many benefits of this cooperation:
the possibility of influencing the development of international law in the field of human rights,
the ability to influence countries that are members of the organisation,
the ability to influence the organs of the organisation itself,
the opportunity to present your position and the organisation's achievements.
Thanks to cooperation with government organisations, the third sector has been very successful:
At the UN's founding conference in 1945, the participation of (at that time not very numerous) NGOs at the UN founding conference in 1945 influenced the implementation of relevant provisions regarding the protection of human rights in the United Nations Charter.
During the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993, thanks to the activity of NGO activists (especially Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch), a decision was made to establish the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations.
To a large extent due to NGOs, the International Criminal Court was established.
These are just a few examples of the third sector's activity, thanks to which the standards of human rights protection have improved.
Currently, there are many non‑governmental organisations. Some of them work to make the states comply with a specific law or freedom (e.g. freedom of expression), others have broader goals and work to protect the entire generation of rights. Below are some non‑governmental organisations (international and national) that work for the protection of human rights:
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement,
Amnesty International,
Human Rights Watch,
Doctors Without Borders,
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights,
Polish Humanitarian Action.
Exercise 1
Choose one of the NGOs below and describe its functioning briefly.
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Choose one of the NGOs below and describe its functioning briefly. Organisations: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Polish Humanitarian Action.
Where does it work?
How does it work?
Choose one of the NGOs below and describe its functioning briefly. Organisations: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Polish Humanitarian Action.
Where does it work?
How does it work?
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Exercise 2
Find out what you already know about NGOs working to protect human rights. Listen to the text carefully and fill in the gaps. Non-governmental organisations play (uzupełnij) role in the protection of human rights. Today, it is difficult to imagine the functioning of the international and national (uzupełnij) for the protection of human rights (uzupełnij). There is no area where national and international (uzupełnij) organisations would not be active. They (uzupełnij) the human rights situation, take part in (uzupełnij), support victims of violations, file (uzupełnij) to international (uzupełnij). They are an invaluable source of (uzupełnij), without which the world would never hear of many (uzupełnij) of human rights. Words to fill the gaps: 1. an invaluable, 2. systems, 3. without them, 4. human rights, 5. monitor, 6. the legislative process, 7. complaints, 8. courts, 9. information, 10. violations.
Find out what you already know about NGOs working to protect human rights. Listen to the text carefully and fill in the gaps. Non-governmental organisations play (uzupełnij) role in the protection of human rights. Today, it is difficult to imagine the functioning of the international and national (uzupełnij) for the protection of human rights (uzupełnij). There is no area where national and international (uzupełnij) organisations would not be active. They (uzupełnij) the human rights situation, take part in (uzupełnij), support victims of violations, file (uzupełnij) to international (uzupełnij). They are an invaluable source of (uzupełnij), without which the world would never hear of many (uzupełnij) of human rights. Words to fill the gaps: 1. an invaluable, 2. systems, 3. without them, 4. human rights, 5. monitor, 6. the legislative process, 7. complaints, 8. courts, 9. information, 10. violations.
Find out what you already know about NGOs working to protect human rights. Read the text carefully and fill in the gaps.
without them, human rights, monitor, systems, complaints, violations, courts, an invaluable, the legislative process, information
Non-governmental organisations play .............................................. role in the protection of human rights. Today, it is difficult to imagine the functioning of the international and national .............................................. for the protection of human rights ............................................... There is no area where national and international .............................................. organisations would not be active. They .............................................. the human rights situation, take part in .............................................., support victims of violations, file .............................................. to international ............................................... They are an invaluable source of .............................................., without which the world would never hear of many .............................................. of human rights.
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Exercise 3
Ćwiczenie alternatywne: Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise. Explain meaning of the following words: to stand guard; pattern of conduct; to urge; bottom-up pressure; pressure group; to conduct; to raise the awareness; impartial. If it's too difficult, use lesson's glossary.
Ćwiczenie alternatywne: Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise. Explain meaning of the following words: to stand guard; pattern of conduct; to urge; bottom-up pressure; pressure group; to conduct; to raise the awareness; impartial. If it's too difficult, use lesson's glossary.
Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise. Match the pairs: English and Polish words.
oddolna presja, grupa nacisku, podnosić świadomość, stać na straży, wzorzec zachowania, wzywać, nakłaniać, prowadzić, bezstronny
to stand guard
pattern of conduct
to urge
bottom-up pressure
pressure group
to conduct
to raise the awareness
impartial
Keywords
regulatory/ control/information/promotional/educational function, methods used by NGOs, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Polish Humanitarian Action