The United Nations and the International Protection of Human Rights

Between 1945 and 1989, the UN achieved the adoption of over ninety international juridical instruments, destined to ensure the protection of human rights. It has also promoted the establishment of mechanisms for supervision, charged with observing the extent to which commitments assumed by member States are kept. This process was not free from difficulties, the first of which was tied to the very definition and scope of the concept of human rights. After 1989, the end of the Cold War period, and the conformation of a new world agenda, the promotion of human rights gained greater impetus. However, this has meant new challenges, as was shown at the Vienna Summit. The tendency towards a progressive consolidation of the Western perspective, which prioritizes the protection of civil and political rights over economic, social and cultural rights is one example. The political use of the Human Rights Commission, the creation of new mechanisms which do not always enjoy widespread international consensus, etc., are additional challenges which must be overcome.