09/20/2008

News / The United States' Commitment to Human Rights

“Peace and justice prevail when people are free to speak, assemble, and worship, when their rights are protected, and when governments are accountable to their citizens.” — President George W. Bush

Background

The United States understands that respect for human rights is key to securing the peace, deterring aggression, promoting the rule of law, combating crime and corruption, strengthening democracies, and preventing humanitarian crises.

U.S. Human Rights Goals

The United States seeks to:

* Hold governments accountable for implementing their obligations under international human rights law;
* Promote greater respect for human rights, including the freedoms of expression and assembly, religious freedom, women’s rights, the protection of minorities, and freedom from torture and extrajudicial execution;
* Promote the rule of law, seek accountability, and change cultures of impunity;
* Assist efforts to reform and strengthen the institutional capacity of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;
* Ensure that the General Assembly’s review of the Human Rights Council (HRC) will bring about the structural reforms necessary to make it an effective instrument for the promotion and protection of human rights around the world; and
* Coordinate our pursuit of shared human rights objectives with important allies in both the international and regional fora.

The Protection of Human Rights

The United States seeks to promote and defend human rights and fundamental freedoms and democratic principles around the world by focusing on the promotion of three core components of a working democracy that must be present for human rights to be effectively exercised and protected:

* A free and fair elections process, with a level playing field to ensure genuine competition;
* Good governance, with representative, transparent and accountable institutions operating under the rule of law, including independent legislatures and judiciaries; and
* A robust civil society and independent media to keep government honest, citizens engaged, and reforms on track.

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