BUILDING CULTURES OF PEACE THAT PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS

The protection of vulnerable groups is a crucial aspect of the defense of the human rights so admirably described in the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights and its subsequent conventions. Although governmental structures and policies are indispensable for the defense of these rights, we cannot rely on states to secure them. They ultimately depend on the solidarity of societies and how persons act and communities behave. Thus, the protection of human rights depends upon our building cultures of peace that resolve conflicts nonviolently and link governments with the affective ties and human relations that constitute civil society. To construct cultures of peace, the UN General Assembly advocated working on eight bases. This paper reviews these bases, their interdependency, and their reliance on both state systems and community solidarity. It suggests specific actions that may promote human rights