It was 12 years ago, in March 2006, that the United Nations General Assembly created the Human Rights Council, a body which regularly undertakes a "universal periodic review", or UPR, of how each member state of the UN fulfills its human rights obligations. It is an interesting instrument, which nevertheless raises interesting questions: should we all measure human rights obligations in quite the same way?
The very notion of a universal human rights regimen isn’t one that escapes debate in the academic world. By its very name, it claims universality – in other words, that the entirety of the world’s population has suggested and confirms that there is a single measure and yardstick.
The UN's yardstick isn’t quite like that, however. The UPR upholds the basic idea of treaty and contract – in other words, it reviews states in accordance with international obligations and commitments that those states have actually made themselves. In that regard, the objection that these states are being unfairly judged by standards they didn’t agree to has less potency. Those states signed up to those treaties, after all.
In a few weeks, another round of periodic reviews will take place. And the reviews are quite interesting when they do happen, because it is not simply states that go to Geneva to defend their record. Civil society groups go themselves, usually to criticise their countries’ records and sometimes with harsh consequences. Indeed, a number of Egyptian human rights groups in 2015 opted not to participate at all in the UPR, claiming they faced threats. The UPR is a place where countries can defend their reputations or reveal their inner machinations to the world.
But there is also an interesting aspect to the UPR when NGOs and civil society organisations sometimes go to defend their states’ records, based on what they consider to be inalienable cultural or religious rights. One of the themes, in that regard, is Islam and faith-based Muslim NGOs engaging in an interesting discussion and exchange with the UPR and the council about what rights are indeed universal.
It’s a rather intriguing topic and on a recent trip to a non-Arab, Muslim-majority country, I had long discussions with one such Muslim NGO about the quandaries that they faced. On the one hand, they were adamant that the modern human rights discourse is simply not universal. Rather, it emanates from a particular geographical and historical context, which is broadly, if not completely, western, following the aftermath of the Second World War and the atrocities therein. As the NGO's argument went, it might be a good set of principles but why should it be considered to be universally valid? Is it not based on a certain world view and philosophical approach to human history – one that might be good but hardly rooted in universal consensus? Why should Muslim communities all around the world accept such a discourse uncritically and do they not have their own world views that they should rely on?
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Read more from HA Hellyer:
Black Panther: a billion dollar movie that says a lot about race and Hollywood
Russia is using the same playbook in Ghouta as it did in Aleppo
Syria: a massacre unfolding in the shadow of UN resolutions
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It’s an interesting discussion to be had and not without merit. Historically, indeed, the international human rights discourse is rooted in a modern, western experience, even as it has evolved. Those communities that admit a world view which is not western and have different ways of looking at the world should also have the opportunity to construct their own genuinely rooted forms of coming into modernity. That is surely their right, as it is the right of any authentically free people to do so. But that is really just in theory – at least for the time being.
It's only in theory because there are two important provisos. The first is that for the above argument to be taken seriously, there have to be genuinely top level engagements with what modernity entails, what its problems are and what one's own historical heritage can teach in that regard. That requires deep and thorough intellectual interventions, which also come from a profound educational endeavour – and far too often, universities and systems of learnings in parts of the world outside the West are found lacking. That is not a question of genetics or culture. It is a question of investment and creating the environment for intellectual inquiry. Until that changes, the exploration of modernity from within other world views is going to be rather meagre indeed. It really ought to happen sooner rather than later but that requires genuine investment and commitment.
There is a practical consequence of taking an objection to so-called western human rights seriously, irrespective of how true or false the claim is. All too often, autocrats stand on the pedestal of nationalistic jingoism and declare that they are not bound by these rights so that they can abuse their own people and citizens without having to worry about being held accountable.
As we look at the universality – or the lack thereof – of human rights instruments and the discourse underpinning them, it behoves us all to remember what the practical consequences are likely to be if such instruments suddenly disappeared. The damage is not likely to be in the benefit of a better alternative, informed by an enlightened and intellectually consistent world view. Rather, the most vulnerable are likely to be the targets of yet more abuse. We must all do a lot better than that.
Dr HA Hellyer is a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC and the Royal United Services Institute in London
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The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Napoleon
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SRI LANKS ODI SQUAD
Perera (capt), Mendis, Gunathilaka, de Silva, Nissanka, Shanaka, Bandara, Hasaranga, Udana, Dananjaya, Dickwella, Chameera, Mendis, Fernando, Sandakan, Karunaratne, Fernando, Fernando.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
The%20Afghan%20connection
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Company%20Profile
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5