Youth in DRG Programs
Module: Human Rights Protection and Promotion
Human rights are those expressed in international human rights treaties, which reflect the shared and agreed upon norms and standards to which all acceding nations (or “State Parties”) commit to uphold. There are 18 core human rights treaties and protocols. Many of the rights articulated in those treaties reflect the freedoms and liberties borne out of the American experience and enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, including freedoms of assembly and expression, due process rights, the rights of citizenship, and equal protection under the law.
International human rights law is grounded in the premise that State Parties to international human rights treaties take on the obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights and duties described therein, typically by aligning domestic laws with their treaty commitments:
● To respect a right means the state should itself refrain from interfering with its realization (e.g., for the right to education, putting in place laws that require basic primary education)
● To protect a right means to ensure others do not interfere or deny someone for realizing their right (e.g., for the right to education, ensuring that do not deny young girls the right to go to school)
● To fulfill a right means the state should take proactive measures to ensure a right is realized (e.g., funding primary education and holding public educators accountable).
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Explore the toolkit:
What is Positive Youth Development?
What is Inclusive Development?
Models for Integrating Youth
Cross-cutting Considerations
- Civic Participation
- Youth Organizations
- Youth Leadership
- Example Program Types and Theories of Change
Entry Points for Youth Integration into the Program Cycle
Country/Regional Strategic Planning
Project Design and Implementation
Activity Design and Implementation
Monitoring and Evaluation
Guide to Youth in Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Programs
1. Civil Society
2. Human Rights Protection and Promotion
3. Rule of Law and the Justice Sector
4. Legislative Strengthening
5. Local Governance and Devolution
6. Political Party Development
7. Electoral Processes
8. Anti-Corruption and Accountability
9. Reconciliation, Peacebuilding, and Transitional Justice
10. Media, Information, and Communication Technologies (ICTs)