1) Human Dignity:

This concept transcends cultural difference and can be found in major religions. Protecting dignity requires dedication to human flourishing, to valuing equally each individual, and a recommitment to the importance of solidarity among all people.

Selected research projects on human dignity:

• Human Rights and Human Dignity
  By Jack Donnelly, University of Denver, United States of America.
  Paper, June 2009


• Dignity: A Special Focus on Vulnerable Groups
  By Frédéric Mégret (coordinator), McGill University, Canada and Florian Hoffmann (coordinator), London School of Economics, United Kingdom.
  Paper, June 2009

2) Prevention:

The implementation of human rights depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of national protection systems – the institutions that comprise the national legal order. New strategies are needed to build effective and accountable police forces, courts, prisons and national human rights institutions.

Selected research project on prevention:

• Prevention is Better than Cure: The UN and Human Rights Education
  By Paula Gerber, Monash University, Australia.
  Paper, June 2009

3) Detention:

There are over 9 million detainees and prisoners worldwide with a large proportion kept in inhuman and degrading conditions. Many are arrested without sufficient reasons, held in pre-trial detention for excessive periods and often subjected to torture. More must be done to address the forgotten human rights abuses experienced by people in detention.

Selected research project on detention:

• Democracy, Human Rights and Prison Conditions in South America
  By Fernando Salla (coordinator), University of São Paulo, Brazil.
  Paper, June 2009

4) Migration:

As population and poverty trends continue to further divide the world between overpopulated, young and poor states on one hand, and wealthy, aging and declining population states on the other, migratory pressures will only intensify. There is an urgent need for a human rights approach to migration which protects the rights of migrants and the victims of trafficking.

Selected research project on migration:

• Protection of People Outside their State :A Comprehensive Analysis
  By Mike Hayes (coordinator), Mahidol University, Thailand.
  Paper, June 2009

5) Statelessness:

The plight of people lacking legally enforceable claims on any state has not been given adequate international attention. The injustices of not being able to vote, travel, send children to school, or receive protection from a state are clear. We need to understand how citizenship can make a difference to the enjoyment of human rights.

Selected research project on statelesness

• Statelessness and the Benefits of Citizenship:  A Comparative Study
  By Brad K. Blitz and Maureen Lynch (coordinators), Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom.
  Paper, June 2009

6) Right to Health:

Millions of people living in poverty, the majority of which are women, are denied access to adequate housing, food, decent work and basic education, and even the most basic health services. We need policies based on principles of equity and social justice, and the human right to the highest attainable standard of health.

Selected research project on right to health:

• Realising the right to health in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after 60 years: addressing the reproductive health rights of women living with HIV in Southern Africa
  by Karen Stefiszyn, Mmatsie Mooki and Yohannes Tesfagabir, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria , South Africa.
  Paper, June 2009

7) Climate Change :

The most dramatic impacts of climate change occur in the world’s poorest countries, where human rights protections are often weak. We need more attention to how human rights could contribute to assessing future harms, identifying areas of likely vulnerability and evaluating potential policy measures.

Selected research project on climate change:

• Climate change and Human Rights: The Status of Climate Refugees in Europe
  By Margit Ammer, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights (BIM), Austria.
  Paper, June 2009

8) A World Human Rights Court:

The idea for such a court was already discussed in the 1940s alongside proposals for a High Commissioner and an International Criminal Court. Human rights violations require remedies. With legal accountability comes protection and prevention. We now need concrete proposals to elaborate how such a World Court might ensure greater accountability for all in the 21st Century.

Consolidated Statute and Commentary

Today a plenitude of legal instruments for the protection of a vast number of human rights exists. Many of these rights have reached almost universal ratification. Regional courts have developed and their jurisdiction has brought relief to individual victims of human rights violations and has influenced national legislation and practice. The perpetrators of the most severe human rights violations can be held responsible before the International Criminal Court. Why is it, then, that we are still facing systematic and widespread violations, and that the gap between the high aspirations and the sobering reality, between human rights law and its implementation still exists?

The establishment of a World Court of Human Rights could help to bridge the gap between codified rights and reality. The idea of such a Court dates back to 1947. Due to the Cold War, however, the proposal did not find consensus among States. Thus the World Court of Human Rights was never realised and remained stigmatised as utopian. Probably due to this sense of political infeasibility, scholars have never undertaken to look into the legal possibilities of drafting a statute for the Court. Julia Kozma, Manfred Nowak and Martin Scheinin, authors of "A World Court of Human Rights – Consolidated Statute and Commentary" tried not only to come up with a solid statute but also took into consideration major challenges to the protection.

• A World Court of Human Rights - Consolidated Statute and Commentary
  By Julia Kozma, Manfred Nowak and Martin Scheinin, 2010
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Selected research project on a World Human Rights Court:

• Towards a World Court of Human Rights
  By Martin Scheinin, European University Institute, Florence, Italy.
  Paper, June 2009


• A World Court of Human Rights
  By Manfred Nowak and Julia Kozma, University of Vienna, Austria
  Paper, June 2009