The Paris Minimum Standards of Human Rights Norms in a State of Emergency

After six years of study by its Committee on the Enforcement of Human Rights Law, the sixty-fourth Conference of the International Law Association, held in Queensland, Australia, from August 19 to 25, 1990, approved by consensus a set of standards to assist human rights bodies in monitoring states of emergency. These standards, designated the Queensland Guidelines for Bodies Monitoring Respect for Human Rights during States of Emergency, complement on the enforcement side the substantive norms found in the Paris Minimum Standards of Human Rights Norms in a State of Emergency, adopted by the ILA in 1984.

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S.R. Chowdhury, Rule of Law in a State of Emergency: The Paris Minimum Standards of Human Rights Norms in a State of Emergency, Pinter Publishers, London 1989, XI + 290 pp., £ 35.00.

Netherlands International Law Review ◽

10.1017/s0165070x0000276x ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 37 (01) ◽

pp. 98

Author(s):

P.J.I.M. de Waart

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Rule Of Law ◽

State Of Emergency ◽

Minimum Standards ◽

Human Rights Norms

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The Sphere Project: Next Steps in Moving Toward a Rights-Based Approach to Humanitarian Assistance

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x00006749 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 147-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Helen Ouyang ◽

Michael VanRooyen ◽

Sofia Gruskin

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Health Sector ◽

Humanitarian Aid ◽

Humanitarian Assistance ◽

Technical Standards ◽

Minimum Standards ◽

Critical Commentary ◽

Human Rights Norms

AbstractSince the Sphere Project was launched in 1997, it has sought to integrate principles of human rights norms with adherence to technical standards. While the Sphere Handbook has evolved as both a field tool and a resource for articulating human rights, it does not fully offer a rights-based approach to humanitarian assistance. In the handbook's current edition, its Humanitarian Charter asserts and affirms human rights principles, but the technical Minimum Standards Section that follows has yet to truly embody a rightsbased approach; that is, it does not clarify how to operationalize human rights in the field, particularly with respect to the health sector. Using human rights documents, the Sphere documents, and existing, published literature in the field of humanitarian practice and human rights, this article provides critical commentary and suggests how strengthening the link between rights and standards, as well as rhetoric and action, can advance the Sphere Project beyond its current applicability as a handbook of technical standards in the field to operationalizing an effective rights-based approach to humanitarian aid.

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Reconciling Rights and Obligations

American Journal of Islam and Society ◽

10.35632/ajis.v20i3-4.528 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 20 (3-4) ◽

pp. 140-172

Author(s):

Pernille Ironside

Keyword(s):

Human Rights ◽

Due Process ◽

Common Law ◽

International Standards ◽

Freedom Of Religion ◽

Northern Nigeria ◽

Law System ◽

Constitutional Legality ◽

Human Rights Norms ◽

Criminal Matters

This article examines the debate concerning the recent reinstatement of Shari`ah law with respect to criminal matters in Northern Nigeria. The discussion explores the inherent challenges in reconciling the equally entrenched and passionate views of pro-Shari`ah supporters on their right to freedom of religion with those that question its application in terms of human rights norms and obligations, and its constitutional legality. The analysis concludes that Shari`ah laws can coexist with Nigeria’s common law system and remain relevant in the context of Islam, provided that its principles are adapted and modernized to comport with international standards for due process and are interpreted and applied consistently.

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