Learning Objectives 
Parliament and Human Rights

After studying this unit, you should be able to:

• Comprehend the ways that parliamentarians have used their positions to carry forward the human rights agenda;

Introduction and Overview

Entrenchment of a human rights culture in a country requires parliamentarians to actively push for human rights. This unit explains how parliamentarians can support the embedding of international standards at all levels of governance since they are both policy and law makers, as well as mobilizes of public support for greater allegiance to a human rights agenda. 

The unit explores the multiple roles of parliamentarians as members of the executive, members of the opposition, and as members of political parties. It emphasizes the point that parliamentarians are trustees of people’s aspirations and as such, they must ensure that law and policy support human rights. It also illustrates strategies that some parliamentarians have used to focus greater attention on human rights issues, like having a human rights supportive foreign policy and the appointment of human rights advocates to key positions.