Role of Universal Human Rights to Wards Peace Building

Abstract

The present paper aims at role of universal human right towards peace building. As the twentieth century witnessed some of the worst war atrocities committed in the history of humanity. Today a key feature of the majority of conflicts that we witness today is their sub-national nature that is the subsidiary political, social and cultural polities that exist and function within the nation-state. We need to work more towards the notion of positive peace which means a peace that promotes reconciliation and co-existence on the basis of human rights and social, economic and political justice. This is achieved through an assessment of the elements needed to build a nation, and the ways in which specific human rights can contribute to a process of nation-building. The conclusion reached is that it is important for all sectors of society – and, in particular, minority groups – to be able to feel a connection to the newly rebuilt nation. In the absence of such a sense of belonging, it is inevitable that civil unrest will return. Whilst the introduction of human rights can cause controversy, the paper demonstrates that such does not always have to be the case: human rights can be introduced in a culturally-specific manner, thereby averting the common concern that human rights are simply a means of the West imposing its views on the rest of the world.