4.2 INTER-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS

Inter-governmental organisations also play an important role in the protection of human rights. It is the states that are the members of inter-governmental organisations.

It was the UN that adopted international human rights in 1948. Since then many inter-governmental organisations have worked to protect human rights. These organisations have produced their own human rights documents, all of which are based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are organisations to which European states belong.

When the UN, Council of Europe or other organisations have produced a human rights convention it means that the states have reached agreement collectively. When a member state violates the contents of a convention it means that this state is not complying with what it and the other states agreed to. Because the states have given up some of their sovereignty by becoming members of the organisation, the other states are entitled to react to such violations. They are supposed to monitor each other to ensure that everything works as it is supposed to.

Once a state has ratified a human rights convention, it is supposed to report regularly (often every second or every fourth year) to the organisation on how the convention is being implemented. If a state violates its obligations, this may be brought up in meetings. Thus a great deal of international pressure can build up on a state that does not respect human rights.