good governance practices for the protection of human rights

Methodology
The publication is organized around the above-mentioned governance themes:
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Strengthening democratic institutions
Improving service delivery
The rule of law
Combating corruption
Each chapter comprises geographically diverse case studies. Given the goal of
illustrating the conditions under which specific initiatives came about and the
strategies through which they were implemented, each case study presents the
background to the initiative, its achievements and the main challenges it faces.
In preparing the publication, OHCHR relied on several submissions from Governments
on their experiences with governance reforms to improve human rights
protection. A desk study of secondary resources was subsequently carried out
to cover the gaps emerging from the submissions. In this process, a number of
organizations shared their expertise and were consulted on the practices
included in this publication. OHCHR did not undertake any direct research in
the countries or the projects included here.
The case studies are indicative of the efforts that took place in specific settings.
They are innovative initiatives in terms of the social partnerships they created, the
legal and principled arguments they relied on or the institutions and processes they
devised. However, initiatives that have made a positive contribution in one setting
cannot simply be transferred to another. A one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate
for addressing the complex obstacles to legal, social and institutional reform
which improves the protection of human rights. It is therefore hoped that the case
studies will offer ideas and inspire practitioners and reformers, who can then adapt
them to their particular conditions. It is also hoped that, through the sharing of
experiences, the publication will generate further discussion and research.
Human rights standards
Human rights are set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of
1948 and codified and further spelled out in a series of international conventions.
These lay down the minimum standards to ensure human dignity,
drawing on the values found in different religions and philosophies. Moreover,
Governments worldwide have agreed that these conventions constitute
an objective set of standards by which they can be judged. These instruments
are applicable in the countries that have ratified them.
The core conventions are:
• The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (1965)
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