International Human Rights Law Quiz

Overview of International Human Rights Law

• International human rights law promotes human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels.
• It is made up of treaties and customary international law.
• International human rights law is distinct from international humanitarian law, although they are complementary.
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action in 1993, establishing the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was replaced with the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006.
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a non-binding UN General Assembly declaration that has become an authoritative human rights reference.
• International human rights treaties include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and others.
• Regional systems of international human rights law supplement and complement national and international human rights law.
• The African Union is a supranational union consisting of 55 African countries.
• The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights is the region's principal human rights instrument.
• The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States.
• The Council of Europe is responsible for the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights.
• Universal jurisdiction is a controversial principle in international law that allows states to claim criminal jurisdiction over people whose alleged crimes were committed outside of their boundaries.