In the preceding chapters of Part II we have described and analysed the main human rights that the international community, by and large, and through the auspices of the UN, has agreed that human beings and peoples have. On the face of it, this agreement constitutes an international consensus on liberal human rights. However, despite this apparent agreement on basic human rights, there are serious problems with their implementation. There are, of course, the difficulties in realizing socio-economic rights in poorer countries, which we have discussed in detail in Chapter 6 and will not return to in this one. Here our main concern is with the failure of many states, other organizations and individuals to abide by their commitments to respect and promote civil and political rights.

The UN organs responsible for implementation of human rights

There exists a large number of UN bodies with human rights responsibilities. Many of these are ad hoc and overlapping entities and procedures and most commentators agree that this development has not been sensible or helpful to the cause of human rights and that it needs substantial rationalization. We do not discuss what form this rationalization should take here; what we do is outline the most important of these institutions, regulations and agreements and their effectiveness.