The connection between human rights, good governance and sustainable development Student Activities Case Study Teacher's Notes Brainstorm what you know about human rights. Use the questions below to help you get started: What is a human right? Why are human rights important? What are economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights? What is a human rights commission and what sort of things does it do? Why do some countries have better human rights than others? What is Australia's human rights record like? How can countries improve their human rights? Record your ideas on a whiteboard and use this material to draw up a PNQ chart. A PNQ chart asks you to organise your ideas into positives, negatives and questions you would like answered. Use your questions as the basis for further research. Using a dictionary or the case study notes check your understanding by defining the following terms: Economic sanctions Government Governance Good governance Public sector institutions Civil society Asia Pacific Forum of International Human Rights Organisations Look up the ESCAP website on governance given to you by your teacher. Under the 'governance' heading locate the section on 'participation'. After you have read this section: Brainstorm ways in which individuals can participate in their society. List five examples of participation. Create a poster, using newspaper articles, pictures and/or cartoons which illustrate these five forms of participation. At the bottom of the poster list five social, political and economic conditions which you think are necessary if people are to participate in the governance of their society. Read the introduction to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Using the case study notes and this article, complete the following exercise as a group activity: Each group is to: Choose one of the following areas of human rights: Economic/Social/Cultural/Civil & Political/Solidarity Brainstorm & identify three things which would be classed as rights in their area Explain how the having or not having of these rights would affect an individual's ability to actively participate in their society, or, in the case of solidarity rights, affect a country's ability to participate on a global level. Working in groups, collect 12 newspaper articles and/or website articles about situations which have arisen because of a poor standard of human rights. Six of the articles should fall into the political and civil rights category and six should fall into the economic, social and cultural category. Read the articles and work out which human rights have been upheld. Using the table below as an example, write a report in which you: Identify the number and type of violations Explain how poor governance practices might have contributed to this loss of human rights Example Article Political/Civil Economic Social Cultural How poor governance practices contributed to this loss of human rights Journalist jailed for speaking out         Rule of law not followed; Democratic principles not practiced, eg freedom of speech When you have completed the above task present your findings to the class using a mode of presentation which is interesting and eye-catching. Each presentation should include the articles, the report, a written conclusion and some pictures, cartoons or symbols. Possible presentations include: The arrangement of articles, report and pictures on a large piece of card A PowerPoint presentation Invite a speaker from one of the organisations listed below to talk to you about human rights, governance, or the Asia Pacific Forum. Prior to their visit make a list of questions you would like answered - you could use some of the questions from the PNQ chart you made in the first activity. Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (Human Rights & Asia Pacific Forum) Amnesty International (Human Rights). Choose one of the following topics and compile a booklet or write a formal essay. Use the Internet and an Australian history text to research the development of human rights in Australia between 1850 and 2000. Some headings to help you are outlined below: Working conditions, for instance issues of equal pay and the minimum wage Social security - what used to happen if you were unemployed, divorced or a single mother? Indigenous issues - what restrictions were placed on indigenous people, eg travelling, marriage, work, socialising, political participation Women's issues - what restrictions were placed on women, eg work, socialising, political participation Discuss the status of human rights in the Asia Pacific Region. You should address the following points: Why there is no regional treaty or commission Why countries find it difficult to come to a regional agreement The role of the Asia Pacific Forum of International Human Rights What commitments must be met before institutions can become members of the Forum Australia's role in the development of human rights institutions in the region The importance of the 1991 Paris Principles and the Larrakia Declaration Information on the above can be found in your case study notes, at the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Website and at the Asia Pacific Forum for National Human Rights Institutions Website. Imagine that you are the Assistant Commissioner for the Human Rights Commission of Asian or Pacific country. You have been asked to attend a conference held by The Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions. The conference is entitled 'Good Governance and the Upholding of Human Rights'. On return to your country you are asked to write a report on the conference proceedings. You have been requested to include the following material in your report: Comments on the link between good governance and human rights A list of recommendations designed to improve your country's Human Rights Commission.   Top © Commonwealth of Australia